


And then the Sun rises

by LordReborn



Series: Stray connections do KNOT (Always Entangle) [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Chapter 686 fix-it, F/M, Gen, Mutual Pining, The SS is a corrupt political landscape for damn sure but we still like them so it's fine, Warning: some heavy criticism of the Soul Society and its leadership, but made more complicated for those poor souls, government etc, i can promise you that at least, light romance because we are preocuppied with saving the world, so pertinent headcannons galore please mind that, tried to tidy up that 686 mess to at least make sense to me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:48:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 145,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27860074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordReborn/pseuds/LordReborn
Summary: There is a certain need for insane ideas when the situation calls for it. In this case, they left Rukia no choice but to rally everyone who wished to help out in this outrageous plan.This time they will not stand back and let the Soul Society edict another order to a gruesome fate when it pleases them.This time they will save the Soul King.
Relationships: Hitsugaya Toushirou/Kurosaki Karin, Inoue Orihime/Ishida Uryuu, Kuchiki Rukia/Kurosaki Ichigo
Series: Stray connections do KNOT (Always Entangle) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2039626
Comments: 52
Kudos: 82





	1. Precipice

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

_**Do you have enough love in your heart to go and get your hands dirty?** _

* * *

There was the sun again – like a light at the end of the tunnel. It shone through the creamy curtains and painted the world ten times brighter than normal and a hundred times more innocent and colorful than Ichigo has been seeing it for years.

He can feel the soft sheets beneath him and his sluggish, sleep-addled mind braces itself to wake up. It is a strange experience to have when for most people, this is just a fleeting half of a second before they open their eyes.

But Ichigo is half-afraid to wake up and confront reality today. He has been for some time now, most probably because something deep inside his soul has become slightly wobbly and untethered with the passing of years. There is an unsettling wrongness, lodged somewhere in his soul, but he is much too tired to make sense of it.

Ichigo has no idea what it is or what to look for, so he stretches that discombobulating feeling of wakefulness until he wants to scream. His eyes open and every line of his earlier thought is wiped clean, like it was never there in the first place.

He comes face to face with a pair of large brown eyes and a small, round face that is much too close to his own right now.

His son releases a loud giggle that promptly destroys whatever tranquility there ever was, and Ichigo springs right into his day.

* * *

A loud series of consecutive knocks echo through the dimly lit room. The door opens without much preamble or semblance of care for any kind of privacy for her.

The visitor scoffs.

“You’ve been cooped up here for two days, Rukia.”

As much as Renji is her best friend, Rukia sometimes wants nothing more than to bury that stupid face of his into the pavement. But that’s not the _sane_ thing to do, not that Rukia’s sanity hasn’t suffered more than a few bad hits in the last few months. At least, she can pretend that it hasn’t, and that’s why Renji’s face is still something he can boast about.

“So what?” She bites back without much fire behind her words.

Two days with her nose buried in ancient books and with no one for company but her shadow have depleted her of any energy she ever had. But then again, the war left her completely drained of every ounce of life in her soul to begin with.

The small wisps of the flickering flames of the candles at the corners of the table dance when Renji slams the door shut behind him. Rukia shivers from the cold air that manages to sneak inside the room.

She knows without having to look up that her friend is scowling.

“ _So_ , you have to take a break once every thousand years!”

“Then see you in nine hundred ninety-nine years.”

Even as she says this, the page in front of her blurs. Rukia scrunches her eyes shut and releases a string of silent curses.

Surprisingly, Renji doesn’t try to wrestle the fragile book out of her hands like he did the last time he was here. The vice-captain only leans on the already overloaded table, making it groan under the added weight. But the man doesn’t seem to notice, he only watches her with a calculating expression in his eyes.

“Did you at least find anything useful?”

Rukia wants to say that she did, but then she’d be lying through her gritted teeth. There isn’t much to say about the contents of the books she’s read, other than the fact that it’s basically impossible to replicate whatever it’s written inside of them. The rituals are as old as the Soul Society itself and, worst of all, there is no one left to help them to properly decipher them.

The only one with a modicum of knowledge will not help. After all, captain Kyoraku was one of the people involved in _that plan_ to begin with. The rest of the old captains have died and what other old people remain alive after the war aren’t privy to such high-classified information, nor do they have the necessary rank to know these kinds of things.

At Rukia’s continued silence, Renji sighs and changes the subject.

“They keep asking, Rukia.”

“Let them ask, Renji.”

And with that, Renji has finished with his quota for the day and straightens to his full height. Before he steps over the threshold and leaves her alone once more, he makes one last announcement.

“They are coming tomorrow. To visit him.” 

It’s like she’s struck by lightning. Rukia’s muscles freeze and it suddenly hurts to breathe, but before long this feeling ebbs away and leaves behind something worse than fatigue.

She hasn’t felt such a heavy load of grief pressing down on her very being since Kaien-dono’s death. And it isn’t even the same because while souls can pass on into the great spiritual energy that make up this world, _he_ cannot.

And it’s all the motivation she needs to return to her collection of prohibited texts. She only has five more hours before the guards finally make sense of her Kido spell, and by then, she has to be far, _far_ away from here. If she’s lucky, she may get a wink of sleep before the fated visit of tomorrow.

* * *

The party from the world of the living greets them with grim expressions and reddish eyes, but Rukia cannot even offer anything close to a sympathetic remark before she has another explosive episode.

She looks on with a blank face as Isshin speaks quietly to captain Kyoraku. A few feet away, Yuzu and Karin shuffle around Keigo and the others, visibly uncomfortable and out of their element. Rukia only confirms Uryuu as the chaperone this time around, though Isshin should have been enough to act as a guard on their way to the Soul Society.

“They don’t trust Kurosaki-san.” Rukia whispers the observation to the Quincy as he walks up next to her.

Uryuu fixes his glasses up on his nose, first and foremost.

“I doubt that they ever did.”

And it would have been a tough pill to swallow three years ago, but since then, Rukia’s view of the Soul Society has been tainted beyond repair. It’s been trampled and ripped, over and over again. Now, the very same stairs that she once proudly stepped on bring a vile taste in her mouth and a bitterness that she cannot displace from its spot inside her heart.

The very thought of walking outside, through the impersonal granite streets, having to see the other soul reapers, having to deal with the upper echelons, it is beyond her capability to handle.

This sticky awkwardness, coupled with the bureaucracy of captain Ukitake’s death, is the main reason why Rukia is suddenly holing up inside the oldest part of the Kuchiki archive. An _illegal_ disappearance, from all points of view.

But she is somehow reassured by the fact that her brother hasn’t brought up the subject, and it is all the support that she needs, even if Byakuya hadn’t said it in so many words.

“Anything new on your front?”

Not wanting to seem suspicious, Rukia steps forward in an attempt to try and guide them in the right direction. Uryuu keeps up with her though, but his answer leaves a lot to be desired.

“Nothing.” He seems more frustrated than angry as he says it. Rukia has slowly learned to decipher his looks, but the process is an arduous task, and sometimes she has no patience for it.

“Not even from _you-know-who_?” She hisses.

Uryuu turns a denigrating glance in her direction as they turn a corner.

“Trust me, _we_ are doing everything _we_ can.”

“And yet it’s not enough.”

Both Rukia and Uryuu startle, though they are agile enough not to make it so obvious.

They turn back to see captain Hitsugaya with a customary scowl on his face.

“Captain Hitsugaya!”

Instead of pleasantries, Uryuu frowns at the short boy.

“I don’t see you making much headway either, _captain._ ”

The Tenth division captain’s scowl burns brighter.

“Someone has to keep up appearances, you know? Mostly because none of you tries to stay in any semblance of line anymore.”

“That’s an excuse, if I ever heard any.” Uryuu throws gasoline onto the fire with a snort, just because he can. Then his face slips into a serious expression that derails Rukia’s sleep-addled brain for a long moment. “Though I start to see what you are talking about.”

Rukia follows his line of sight and sees the grand stairs of the Soul King’s palace sprawling in front of them.

Because of the large-scale destruction that the war has left in its wake, the path from the main Senkaimon gate to the main stairway of the palace is a very short one and easy to access. And because there is basically no real Zero Division anymore, the palace has remained visible and accessible to everyone, though that must be the single good thing that ever came out of this mess.

Sometimes, Rukia wonders if it wouldn’t have been better to let Yhwach win.

Because then she wouldn’t have to constantly see _it._

It’s been a few visits and enough passage of time that none of their guests burst out into tears or have a break down at the sight anymore. Now they wear tired, heavy looks and their eyes are dull as they walk up to the large transparent crystal.

Rukia stands back as Yuzu and Karin shyly approach it, under the careful watch of captain Kyoraku and the other high ranked Shinigami watching the somber procession run its course.

Her heart wants to hurt but it broke irreparably a long time ago.

She feels nothing when she looks at it _._

At the _thing_ inside of the crystal.

At _him_.

Because she doesn’t see that quiet fire and determination anymore. She cannot spot the soft and mellow interior behind that stupid façade of power and self-confidence he liked to put up and face the world. There are no big, loud and grand words exiting his stupid mouth and there will never be again. He will never again swear at her and kick her ass into gear in the same breath.

Kurosaki Ichigo looks over the procession with a pair of dead, brown eyes, impersonally and disinterested in their very mortal problems.

Emotionlessly, nonchalantly.

He looks over the entire world – the living, the dead and everything in between – into the great beyond and further away without an ounce of sentiment or reaction to the galaxy laying at his feet.

He can see the very fabric of the universe and yet he doesn’t care.

He is the Soul King.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

_**Yhwach's daily word of wisdom: "** The future is not a single, straight path stretching out from the past. The future is like countless grains of sand scattered outward from the present. Though they may seem utterly different, each one of those countless grains is a future. To put it another way, each grain represents one of countless 'possibilities'."_

* * *

Rukia feels the burning familiarity of her anger coil in her gut and her eyes slit into a glare.

She wants to spit in that crystal’s direction, wants to curse at it until she runs out of breath.

Sometimes, she wonders how it feels to control the whole idea of life and death, but it isn’t like Ichigo will ever answer her question.

She knows that because she’s tried it before.

All she will end up with is grief, sorrow and a pair of bleeding knuckles.

“How long is he going to stay like this?” After months of silence, Keigo is the first brave soul to break it. He looks to captain Kyoraku as he asks this, but the look in the man’s eye is indecipherable.

He regards the new King with a critical one-eyed glance.

“With any luck, until the end of time.”

Rukia begs to differ, _not if they have any say in this_ , though she will never say it out loud.

Keigo swallows back the disheveled string of words fighting to escape his throat. Tatsuki hangs her head, for the first time properly defeated.

The rest of the party stays silent, just like the dead world Ichigo has left behind.

“Captain Kyoraku, please allow me to accompany them back to the Gensei.”

Rukia knows that the Captain-commander is aware of the non-pressing need for that. After all, Uryuu Ishida is the _chaperone_ and Kurosaki Isshin is a powerhouse, but he also needs Rukia to be malleable and says ‘yes, sir’ more often than she does now, so he nods and leaves her to her whims.

If one small excursion to the world of the living will convince the vice-captain of the thirteenth division to fall in line, he will approve her short leave himself.

“Alright.”

“Thank you, sir!”

* * *

The first thing Rukia does is head straight to Yamatano street, trying her best to banish the dead man in the crystal from the back of her eyelids.

She bursts inside Urahara’s shop with violent fervor. Ishida follows her, less inclined to make a disaster he refuses to pay for. Fortunately for Rukia, she is a noble by adoption.

“Where is he?” The short woman all but growls as Yoruichi slides the door to her room open.

The older woman awards her with an unimpressed look but jabs a finger towards the back.

Rukia finds Aizen with his nose buried inside a decomposing book. He never even looks up as she and Uryuu sit down on the other side of the table.

“What is it now?”

Rukia wants to bite his head off but, unfortunately, she isn’t a Hollow.

“Anything?”

Uryuu places a hand on her forearm, an effort to keep Rukia from attacking the mad man again. Last time it ended in a lot of blood and less than a resolution, and Uryuu hates to be party to such a thing one more time.

Rukia doesn’t offer any hint that she even feels his tight grip around her wrist. She glares daggers in Aizen’s direction, and Uryuu hopes that he will answer before he transforms into an icicle.

“More or less.” Aizen’s evasive answer has the vice-captain tensing for the assault. To his credit, the man looks up at them and places the book on the clean surface of the table. “I may or may have not found a possible solution to our problem.”

The next pause stretches into eternity.

“ _Well_?!” Rukia’s fist slams on the table and Uryuu pinches the bridge of his nose.

The short woman has always been a wild card, but with Kurosaki so thoroughly out of the picture and in such a state from now until forever, her temper has been a fluctuating mess that even has Orihime at a loss on how to approach Rukia anymore. Uryuu certainly never expected Kuchiki to act so unhinged for such a long period of time. He also made the mistake of wondering how her brother is handling it, and he did it in Renji’s vicinity.

The vice-captain also wanted to find that out, but he didn’t have any co-conspirator until Uryuu mindlessly voiced his thoughts out loud. Renji promptly involved him in a crusade for answers that left the Quincy ultimately ashamed, though Byakuya’s answer was enough to make all his embarrassment fade away.

_“I think that I know better than anyone how it feels to lose the person you love. I cannot fault Rukia for any reckless action she takes, not now and not in a thousand years.”_

It was more explicit than what he’s been searching for, that answer, but Uryuu gets where Kuchiki is coming from now. And that gives him an advantage and a way to try and prevent her outbursts, condense them into something more manageable and, dare he hope, productive.

The mad man offers one of his derisive smiles that is just a bit deranged at the corners.

“It will take a long time to undo what the Shinigami have done.”

Which is not exactly the resolution Uryuu has been looking for, but he doesn’t doubt the difficulty of this task either.

“The five who sealed Kurosaki Ichigo into the crystal are dead. Shunsui Kyoraku has made sure of that.”

“So he isn’t one of them?” Uryuu asks because he cannot ignore the elephant in the room. Or more accurately, the mastermind sitting high upon his throne in the Soul Society while Kurosaki floats in a crystal on top of the universe.

“No,” Aizen clasps his hands on top of the table. Uryuu glances at those bloody hands, wondering if the prison-gigai the Science Division fashioned will ever be enough to stop the madness from seeping through, “though he did make sure to dispose of those responsible. Now, the Soul Society finds itself with a deficit of very strong soldiers available to replace those lost in the war. But I do not doubt that Kyoraku is on his way to remedy that.”

He turns to Kuchiki then, an unreadable look behind that scheming gaze.

“I need you to stop playing hard to get, Kuchiki Rukia. Get to work, mingle with the higher-ups. If you want to find a way to remove Kurosaki from the crystal, you need to ascend to a higher rank.”

“My brother, captain Hitsugaya and captain Hirako are enough.” Rukia slowly says through gritted teeth.

“No, they are not.” Aizen says, not the least bothered by Kuchiki’s harsh tone. “They are useless to me. Well, besides Hirako, that is.” The man allows with a slight tilt of his head. “They do not possess the determination you have.”

This stops Kuchiki long enough to allow Uryuu to intervene.

“What exactly is it that you want us to do?” The young man eyes the ripped book warily. “What kind of ritual is it?”

Instead of answering Uryuu’s question, Aizen’s looks straight at Rukia.

“Have they decided on a date?”

She blinks back in confusion.

“For the day they _divide_ Kurosaki into the divine parts.”

“ _What_!”

Uryuu scrambles to drag Rukia back from Aizen’s throat.

“What the hell are you talking about, you sick fuck?!”

Rukia grips at the impassive man’s collar as he studies her stonily in return.

“Sooner or later, the Soul Society will rid Kurosaki of his arms, of his legs and of his heart. Among other things. Just like they did to the past King.” He looks to the cracked ceiling, though Uryuu knows that Aizen sees the sky, the border between worlds and the Soul King’s palace. “They will want to do so soon, before he amasses too much power and destroys his prison.”

He cracks the book open again and points to an image on the faded page.

“That crystal is at once his prison and his greatest weapon. The special material attracts the reishi in the atmosphere – _ungodly_ amounts of it – and stuffs it all in Kurosaki’s body. But unfortunately, the body is a closed circuit and finite. It has faulty points of communication with the universe.”

Whatever Aizen is spouting right now, it is incorrigible and horrifying.

“That energy gathers, in the end, in the extremities until it cannot anymore. The resulting explosion would be enough to wipe out most of the Rukongai Districts, and that is largely based on my premonition. That is why the limbs are cut, in order to facilitate a better flow of reishi through him. Basically, they transform his body into an open circuit, usable only for keeping up the status quo.”

“And his heart?” Uryuu urges, dread filling his whole soul and clogging inside his throat.

Aizen bows his head, more out of impatience than real emotion.

“Is a person without a heart anything other than a puppet?”

Rukia releases a strangled noise while Uryuu tries to get back his bearings. They cannot both have a breakdown at the same time.

“Kurosaki Ichigo was the best one suited to replace the old King because of his unique genetic makeup. That goes without saying. But as powerful as he was, I doubt that he was anywhere near the level of the original King. That is why the Soul Society waited for such a long time to cut him up.

In the first place, handling him is hard and I’m sure that Kyoraku will choose to be safe than sorry. There is literally no reason to leave Kurosaki to amass any more power than he already has. That is why,” Aizen’s gaze glints with steel, “you have to find out when the division will take place.”

“What else?” The Quincy taps his fingers on the table, feeling like they are out of time and ideas. But he’ll be damned if he lets despair stand in his way. Someone has to pick up the slack and Kuchiki is going to be out of commission for a while after this string of realizations.

“The matter is complicated,” Aizen says casually, “because the balance of the whole universe is at risk. Not to mention that the content of these books might be very wrong. From everything I’ve read until now, the conclusion is this. As the ritual goes – I will need at least five people.”

“ _We_.” Uryuu corrects.

“Semantics.” Aizen lets out an unsettling twist of the lips. “Five powerful people who are willing to trade one life for another.”

Uryuu quirks an eyebrow while Rukia shakes her head, trying to return her attention to the conversation and ignore the pain splitting her in half.

“What in the world,” Uryuu begins uncertainly, “is that supposed to mean?”

Aizen lifts his clasped hands in front of his face. The eerie image he makes, coupled with the unnerving look in the madman’s eyes, is enough to put the Quincy immediately on guard.

“What else do I mean besides you, dear Ishida Uryuu? You and your insufferable gang of _friends_ have proved time and time again that you are more than ready to follow your own interests. More often than not, you united for the same cause, and even in the absence of that, Kurosaki Ichigo was more than enough reason to gather you all under the same flag again. It does help that most of you trained in the Soul King’s palace in the war, or with the Quincies, so you are also adequately powerful for this task. Only one problem remains – _we_ need to find someone else to take Kurosaki Ichigo’s place.”

Disturbingly, Rukia is more interested in the latter part of Aizen’s certified insane explanation.

“Why do we need to place someone else in there? Couldn’t we just leave the spot open?”

Uryuu watches the maniac’s mouth stretch into a smirk that makes the young man’s skin crawl.

“Unfortunately, no. While I do admit that my master plan was to dispose of the Soul King once and for all, I have since found out that the universe needs a pin to help it stay in balance or we all explode into dust particles.” Aizen leans back, chin held high and speaks with the infuriating confidence of someone who is not just an ex-convict in eternal exile. “In short – someone needs to take the fall. That is, if you wish to liberate Kurosaki Ichigo.”

At his side, Uryuu hears Kuchiki swallow heavily. The young man himself is stuck in a confusing limbo of guilt and determination, remorse and rebellion. He dances between the need to curse the world and curse Kurosaki for being such a selfish idiot. Leave it to the bastard to put them in such a dreary position, around which Uryuu sees no escape.

Incredible.

Kuchiki proves Uryuu’s point when she suddenly stands up from her seat. There are tear tracks on her cheeks, but her fists are clenched, and her voice is less wobbly than Uryuu expects.

“We should hurry up. If-If they cut him up,” Kuchiki’s arms tremble from the exertion, “there will be no saving him anymore.”

It is unpleasant to be reminded of that, but Uryuu most of all dreads to inform Orihime and Chad about this.

* * *

The house is filled with loud laughter and a delicious smell wafts from the direction of the kitchen.

Work today was a daze, like usual, but now Ichigo is more than happy to sit on the couch, and watch some TV. He thumbs through the channels while Kazui plays with his toys, doing impressive renditions of the different vehicles in his hands.

He should be tired, he thinks. But he isn’t, not in the necessary sense. Ichigo is weary more than he is physically tired, and it has nothing to do with work today.

Which is whatever he had to do in the clinic. It’s difficult to distinguish between the days somehow. And after all these years, he’s learned not to try to.

But this weariness is something new and it confuses him. He hasn’t felt like this since his Shinigami days.

Ichigo tilts his head to the side as his thumb continues to press the button for the next channel. He frowns as he thinks closely about that word.

 _Shinigami_.

It’s been a while since he’s heard it. Granted, he basically avoids everything to do with the Soul Society like the plague, for a plethora of different reasons. His friends think that it is because of the war, but there are other, more pressing avenues that never fail to make him shiver and suffocate.

Against the general agreement, Ichigo did not, in fact, suddenly fall in love with being a human, not at all. The same state of existence he has tried for all of his childhood to escape is now a safe prison for the rest of his life.

Ichigo loved being a Shinigami – he loved the swords and the fights and the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He relished in the incredible feeling of the reiatsu flowing in and out of his body in the realm of the afterlife. He praised the possibility to protect everything he cared about with his own two hands.

But there comes a time and a place when a decision has to be made, and that decision comes then to influence the rest of your life. At least in Ichigo’s case. He can’t go and say that he has changed his mind because that is not possible anymore. And it will never change.

Ichigo thinks that he might ask the Soul Society for a gigai after he supposedly dies, mostly because he’d like not to have to go to the Soul Society.

_I will survey your futures from this point on and choose the moment at which you feel the greatest happiness._

The words keep echoing in his head whenever his mind turns to that plane of existence.

_That is the moment when I will take your lives. For the rest of your lives, whenever you feel happiness, you will remember my words._

Ichigo’s hands clench in the fabric of his pants. The remote rests in his lap, forgotten and the channel ends up being a trashy talk show, but at least its flashiness distracts him from the other flashy images gurgling in his brain, trying to kill him.

That day, his soul left Soul Society behind. And then his body did, when he decided that his place isn’t there, as much a lie as it really is. Honestly, Ichigo has felt more at home in the Soul Society than he has ever felt in the World of the Living. He can lie and say that he hadn’t left his heart back there, but at least he can still lie to himself that it was an impossible thing that he wanted to begin with.

That bastard Yhwach had made sure of that.

And they were idiots and listened to that mad man’s words and look where that got them. Gone was any plan he had ever made for his life, however shifted they were with the whole Shinigami business.

Yhwach won, Ichigo knows it deep inside his soul.

Because, at the end of the day, Ichigo wanted _her_. He wanted to be with _her_ , but there was Yhwach and his words to think about and beware of, and then they talked and agreed that it is useless to pursue something that would ultimately hurt them more. Not with so much at stake.

And then Ichigo abandoned his heart in the Soul Society and threw himself into one of the hardest professions available, sunk in the endless workbooks and drowned himself with that endless amount of information.

At the very least, he knows that his heart is safe in Rukia’s hands. He hasn’t seen her since the wedding, and even then, he could barely look away from his dirty shoes because he couldn’t simply watch her and then _leave_. Not voluntarily and not on the day that, they exclaimed with various degrees of gushiness, she has never looked more beautiful.

_And each time, you will tremble in fear of your promised death. Forever._

“Dad?”

Kazui’s tentative question brings Ichigo out from his conflicting thoughts. He blinks and looks down, trying in vain to subtly unclench his hands where they almost rip the material of his pants. The boy glances from his fists to his face and Ichigo bites down a swear. The kid is too perceptive for his young age.

“Are you okay?”

Something pulses at the back of Ichigo’s head, but he plasters on a smile and adopts an easy attitude.

“Of course I am!”

The day continues on with thoughts of the afterlife banished from his mind and only a delicious smell and a strange meal, half alive, half dead.

In the background, the TV is forgotten but the channel flickers for a short moment, two successive times above Kazui’s head, who is completely immersed in his play. The image is grainy and distorted, but there is a distinctive form whose large grin is the only visible feature on the otherwise dark screen.

_Such a wonderful dream. The nightmarish ones are always the most enjoyable._

* * *

Orihime has been crying for half an hour. Granted, it is not that ugly crying filled with sobs, but tears are nonetheless falling from her wide eyes.

Uryuu tries his best to comfort her, though there is not much need. The girl might seem fragile, but she can hold her own in any kind of situation, no matter how much it sucks. Orihime puts on a grave face and steadfastly ignores her watery cheeks in favor of listening to Uryuu and Chad discuss the news the Quincy just brought to them.

Lately, this has been one of the reasons for Uryuu’s increasing attraction to the girl and it is as much terrifying as it is unnecessary at this very moment. The last thing they need now is to complicate the already impossible situation with a dram of romance.

 _The very last thing_.

“When is it supposed to be happening?” Chad asks for what Uryuu feels like the fifth time, though that might be his fault since he hasn’t been properly listening to his friend until now.

“The ‘divide’?”

As dubbed by Aizen, and Uryuu shudders.

He lets his fingers tap a mindless rhythm on the wooden surface of the coffee table. The clamor of people around them somewhat steadies him and he’s lucky that they decided to meet at Orihime’s workplace. Such a grim situation deserves to be discussed in the cheery environment of the cutest coffee shop in Karakura town.

“Not sure yet. Kuchiki said that she will ask around. We should have that information by the end of the week.”

Chad nods, but Orihime purses her lips, unhappy.

“Then what should we do in the meantime, Ishida-kun? Actually,” she shakes her head, seemingly changing her mind, “I think the better question is – _who_ can we even ask to replace Kurosaki-kun as the Soul King?”

And that is one subject that Uryuu hates thinking about. It is maybe the fact that his stomach is roiling with the thought of the deed that needs to be done, or maybe it’s just that blind panic envelops him because he cannot think of anyone to replace the blasted orange haired idiot.

Uryuu hates that he must answer her with only half-answers. “That is something yet to be determined too.”

“We don’t have much to go on, do we?” Chad asks rather rhetorically and leans back in his seat. The chair creaks under his weight and the sound adds another two pounds to the load on Uryuu’s shoulders.

The Quincy grits his teeth.

“Not really, but it’s not like the Gensei provides much in terms of information.” Uryuu crosses his arms over his chest and sighs. “As much as I hate having to wait around for the Soul Reapers, there is not much else to do right now.”

“If only Urahara-san…” Orihime bows her head and trails off.

In the grand scheme of things, Uryuu is unsure of what the elusive shopkeeper wanted, about his motives and plans and which of them are still in motion to this day. But at the smallest scale, Uryuu knows that Urahara considered Kurosaki a protégé of some sort and someone close in rank to a nephew. Obviously, the shopkeeper wouldn’t have left Kurosaki to be the Soul Society’s puppet and he would have offered Uryuu and the others his help in order to break Kurosaki out.

Unfortunately, they have to face the reality at some point – a disappointing reality where the man who helped them so many times – even if behind the scenes, he all but benefitted from it – is dead.

Dead and gone, and there is nothing to do now but maybe mourn him when they remember that and move on. Bigger things are at stake here, the most important being the impending doom surrounding Kurosaki’s crystallized form.

“There might be someone else who can help us.” Chad begins and Uryuu doesn’t like his tone, nor the fact that his gaze seems to dance between his friend and the wall behind his head.

The Quincy’s eyes narrow on the taller man.

“Sado?” He urges, but it comes out sounding like a hiss.

Chad clears his throat and makes the motion of shifting in his seat look deadly for the poor chair.

“I was just thinking that Ichigo’s dad might know something more. He was a captain before.”

 _Before_ is such a common word nowadays that it cannot even be considered as hardly fitting a definition anymore. In their minds, it is all well-defined, the boundaries are there and everything is delimited in small fragments, sections of _before_ and _after_ one or two disastrous events that changed forever the fate of two worlds and that tie Uryuu’s family with Kurosaki’s, even if that is the last thing he wanted. Or needed, for that matter. Just the notion of it is enough to make his stomach roil with incredulity and unpleasantness, so he tries not to think about it too much or for too long.

Orihime nods with a renewed sense of purpose.

“That’s right!” And as if Chad orchestrated it all – and who knows, maybe he did – she continues onto that train of thought. “And Ishida-kun’s father was also around at that time. Surely he knows something too!”

Uryuu fears letting his disaster of a father anywhere near Orihime, but he also knows when he is outnumbered and outmatched.

* * *

“Aizen could save my life and I wouldn’t trust him with anything higher than ‘stay away from me’!”

Rukia rolls her eyes, hoping that Renji will get the message that his comment was not well received. It’s not like she trusts the ex-criminal any more than he does but at this point, they have no other choice or source of questionably reliable information other than Aizen. This displeases Rukia as much as it puts her on edge, but she also holds onto the hope that after so many masterfully evil plans, Aizen knows what to do and how to do it.

After all, he enslaved Hueco Mundo and he fooled the whole of Soul Society into thinking that he was nothing but a nice guy for countless decades. Surely, he must be able to figure out how to save Ichigo from the curse of the Soul King.

Renji grunts as he takes back his seat on the other side of the cluttered table. They are back to square one, but at least this time they have a narrower field of study than the last time. Aizen’s words served not only as a wake-up call, but also as an incentive to move their research along at a faster pace.

Fortunately, her brother intervened on their behalf and made their presence in the archives a Kuchiki clan family matter, which in turn offers them all the freedom they can get while in a library.

Rukia closes the latest volume she perused with a tired exhale. She’s been here for six hours already and the hands of the clock steadily move time towards the fated meeting that she’s been trying to avoid for months now.

The lieutenant was aware that with captain Ukitake’s demise, she will not be able to avoid dealing with the reality of the leadership gap in the thirteenth squad any longer. And she kind of doubts that the Captain Commander will continue to put up with her eccentricities much longer either.

Rukia is aware that he only backed down in the last months because even a blind old human could sense the distress and grief radiating from her, oozing into everything that makes her a person and colliding with the walls of her soul. Walls that, nowadays, are more painted in black snow than white, but that is another problem for another day.

Right now, she needs to go to the command center, listen attentively to captain Kyoraku and decide her fate. Though if Aizen’s words are to be believed, she doesn’t have much choice in the matter. Whatever the case, it’s half past four and she has to be in the meeting room on the other side of Seiretei in half an hour.

She will make it without a problem _if_ she leaves now.

With a heavy heart, Rukia makes to move, but Renji chooses that particular moment to speak up.

“Hey, check this out.” He points to an image on the page of his own book.

Rukia stands up and leans over the table. From upside down, the image is a blurry collision of two colors – a splotchy red-pink and black-grey.

She frowns and asks, “What is that?”

Renji’s mouth twists and turns and Rukia raises an eyebrow, unsettled by the habit. She hasn’t seen it in a while because it colludes most awfully with Renji’s cocky personality, but it usually appears when the man is perturbed.

“I think it’s the image of a person, but the text makes more sense.” His finger moves to the fine print under the image. “This here explains some parts of the sealing process for the Soul King. Most of the original thing wasn’t recorded, most likely because it was done at the dawn of time and before, like, writing, but this guy apparently found some sources.”

“If it wasn’t recorded, how were there sources, Renji?” Rukia tries to invoke patience but fails spectacularly.

Renji scowls at her tone and taps the poor page harder.

“You’re forgetting that people – and Hollows, apparently! – tell each other things like _stories_. And while they might be embellished, the author of this book thinks that most of the things are true. Now shut up and let me tell you what it says!”

Rukia purses her lips but relents and crosses her arms over her chest. Her foot taps a steady rhythm on the hardwood floor, and she hopes to all gods that Renji will hurry it up because her time is running short.

“The Soul King was the most powerful being in the whole universe, but apparently he accepted to be sealed up for the good of the world. He supposedly possessed an immeasurable amount of Spiritual power and it took five very powerful beings to seal him.”

“You don’t look so convinced, Renji.” Rukia accuses with narrowed eyes.

Renji glares at her for good measure while he continues, rather reluctantly.

“ _Anyways_ , the thing is that it’s strange that he just accepted to be an icicle for all eternity, but everyone has different tastes, I guess. The problem is, they removed various parts of his body, organs, you name it, when his powers fluctuated so much that he almost broke the seal. The fragments were scattered yada-yada, we know the rest.”

Her childhood friend eyes her with something akin to pity and Rukia bares her teeth at the indirect mention of her late captain and the painful memory of it.

“All in all, the Soul King was most stable when everything but his husk of a body has been removed and has remained so for millennia. Going back to our problem,”

“Finally.” Rukia mutters under her breath.

“Yhwach called himself the Soul King’s son, when he was anything but. He just had some strange fucking abilities, the goddamn _mutant_.” Renji growls with hatred and Rukia can concur. “But when he absorbed the Soul King’s, well, _peripherals_ , he kind of took a lot of the King’s power for his own. Which is why he was a pain in the ass to kill. Thing is – he never did come close to be on the same level as the original Soul King, but that _doesn’t_ mean he wasn’t on the right path. Now we go back to Ichigo.”

Rukia wonders how it all ties together, because until now Renji has been blabbering about completely different things and properly wasting her time with this theory of conspiration.

“Ichigo,” Renji begins heavily, as if he speaks about a particularly irritating stray dog that just wouldn’t stop following him home, “as we know, has been played for all of his life and his Zanpakuto was actually Yhwach’s avatar or some shit. Which is a nasty situation to have thrust upon you, but!” The lieutenant lifts his index finger, victorious in something Rukia has yet to understand. “That means that Ichigo is _also_ a direct link to Yhwach. So, if the evil bastard could keep up the charade that he was a Zanpakuto, then their souls were linked together from the very beginning! Think about it – no one ever batted an eye over Ichigo’s Zanpakuto!”

Rukia doesn’t remember sitting down, but she finds her eyes drawn to the strange picture in the book.

“Which means that Yhwach, or rather, _Zangetsu_ , was a real manifestation of a Zanpakuto.”

Renji shrugs. “Who knows? Ichigo obviously didn’t, the idiot. He never went to the academy, so he wouldn’t know the theory behind it. He trained like hell to save you, so he didn’t have time to stop and listen to Urahara ramble about the Zanpakuto. They were under a very dangerous time constraint with your execution and all, so even if it was a miracle that he could get Bankai, no one thought twice about it because they didn’t have time.”

“Do you mean that Ichigo’s training was made easier by Yhwach-Zangetsu?” Rukia asks carefully, hoping that her voice doesn’t waver as much as her heart does.

“I dunno if he had a shortcut or if I’m just reaching here,” Renji shrugs again, unconcerned by the fact, “but whatever the case, no one ever spotted the irregularities because there was _no time_. And when there was time, Ichigo ran away from battle like it was the plague. So, it might be a possibility.”

“What exactly does this all _mean_ , Renji?” Rukia eyes the clock and closes her eyes, searching for a good excuse to be five minutes late.

“Well, if this book is right, then Yhwach and Ichigo’s souls were slightly linked through Zangetsu. And that means that every piece of the Soul King that Yhwach absorbed, it went to Ichigo, too. At least a tiny bit of it, but enough to give him an endless reserve of Spiritual pressure and suicidal stunts.”

Rukia swats at him but Renji only grins shamelessly.

“So the ones who planned to have Ichigo sealed up knew that! I was wondering _why_ exactly Ichigo was chosen of all people to be sealed in place of the Soul King.”

“If we consider the fact that Ichigo had to draw power from his Zanpakuto, and he drew a _lot_ of it,” Rukia taps her chin, intrigued as the pieces seem to fall together, “then he’s been absorbing small amounts of the Soul King’s power all along.”

Renji nods enthusiastically. “Exactly!”

The notion makes her blood boil. When did Kyoraku and the rest of the soul reapers realize it? Was it when Ichigo came to save her? Was it later? All along, while preaching to help him, they were all but _grooming_ him for the Soul King part in case anything happened to the original.

It is as horrifying as it is eye-opening. The image kind of makes sense now – Rukia realizes that it depicts a man, and the greyish pieces are probably fragments of the Soul King, some bigger, some smaller, but powerful nonetheless.

“Pieces of the Soul King have always existed, but they are so, _so_ very small that they are useless. But Yhwach had some big pieces, and that’s why that power had much more influence over Ichigo.” Renji rubs the back of his neck, a little confused. “Not to mention who his parents are and that freaky Hollow thing.”

Rukia shakes her head, standing up and hoping that fifteen minutes late is still an acceptable time to show up at the meeting.

“You explained how he became like that, but there’s nothing on how to save him.”

“ _Nuh-huh_!” Renji launches into a series of chuckles. “There is more!”

“Great.” Rukai sighs, feeling a headache coming. Or at least captain Kyoraku’s curses washing over her.

“So now that we know how he got in there, the obvious solution is right here!” Renji taps the book and Rukia waits with baited breath, though she could have asphyxiated before the red haired man offered any answer.

She frowns, hoping against hope that Renji might have changed from the idiot he always was.

“Renji?”

Renji swallows. “Wh-What, you didn’t figure it out?”

At the end of her patience, Rukia slams her palm down on the table hard. “ _Did you_ , you idiot?!”

The other lieutenant is visibly sweating but that doesn’t derail him from running his big damn mouth.

“W-Well, I just thought about it long and hard, and I came up with something but I’m not sure if it’s good. Or feasible!”

“At least you learned a new word, you-“

“Look! This thing might have something to do with these fragments!” Renji taps the poor page again, as if in doing so he might summon all the necessary answers. “When Yhwach died, his power scattered around in fragments, much like the Soul King’s. So!”

Against all odds, Renji makes sense. Rukia rubs her elbows, mind reeling.

“If Yhwach’s fragments are still floating around here, we might be able to use them as a replacement for Ichigo! Surely his power couldn’t have simply gone out, not to mention that it would take a while until it properly decomposes into normal reiatsu, so surely there must be big chunks of it still floating around!”

Renji nods a little too enthusiastically. “Right! _Right_!”

But Rukia ignores him, too preoccupied with what this all means.

“We should discuss this with the others, but it’s a good start. No, it’s a great start! Now we just need to figure out how many fragments we need and where to find them. Good job, Renji! I have to go, see you later!”

Renji watches Rukia exit the room like a proper hurricane. She is all action and nothing like the calculated person she was when she first joined the Gotei 13. That idiot Ichigo really had a big impact on her, she’s like another person altogether. Less cold and closed off, and more prepared to bring down the current form of government.

The lieutenant shakes his head and exhales, glad that Rukia figured out a plan because he’s honestly been reaching big time back there. Hopefully, if the spirits are with them, things will work out with Yhwach’s remains. His sketchy morality aside, Renji loathes to have to force someone else to take Ichigo’s place, even though he’d probably do it if it came down to it.

Which is not something the lieutenant is proud of, but he’d do it for Rukia too, and probably captain Kuchiki, shockingly. And that is enough to make him uncomfortable enough to avoid this train of thought altogether.

Damn that Ichigo.

* * *

Rukia and Renji are supposed to come by today with their daughter, Ichika.

Ichigo has been mentally preparing for the event ever since he found out two weeks ago. He put in place all his shields and he painstakingly ironed out his defenses, his façade, his _mind_ because damn it Rukia can read any part of him like an open book. And the last thing he needs is her making a big deal out of nothing.

Well, _nothing_ but this being the first time in almost ten years when he sees her again. Last time was at her wedding, after which he promptly disappeared and immersed himself in medical books until his eyes bled. It was another kind of fight, keeping the spirit realm out of his mind for good, but after so many years he thought he’d finally managed to do it.

But now two soul reapers are coming with their spawn, who is named _Ichika_ of all names, and Ichigo swears that the universe is having a laugh at his expense.

With a sigh, he closes the tap and reaches for the towel to dry his hands, but something black flickers at the corners of his eye. He doesn’t catch it, and he’s left looking at his own reflection. Narrowing his eyes, he ducks behind the mirror, but it’s solidly fixed to the wall.

Next, he looks down under the sink, but he also finds nothing suspicious there besides two of Kazui’s toy cars.

“Are you alright?”

Ichigo almost hits his head on the sink when he tries to look up at Orihime. She’s standing in the doorway with a confused expression on her face.

“Yeah, sorry.” He jumps to his feet and speed walks out of there.

His mind keeps returning to the strange event, but only briefly. When Rukia and Renji alight at their doorway, there is no way for Ichigo to stay preoccupied with the supernatural anymore.

Not when the supernatural is telling him that they lost their kid. Flippantly and without much fear or alarm, or any such emotion generally associated with parents losing their children in a foreign town in another dimension.

It is something he’d never thought he’d hear Rukia, _of all people_ , declare. A comment thrown so _carelessly_ when he knows that she’s not like that at all. If anything, Ichigo’s imagination states that if Rukia should ever have kids, she would be constantly watching out for them and she’d always know where they are.

Not to mention that this Shinigami business brought her so much pain and yet she agreed to let her daughter start training as a soul reaper when she’s _eight years old_ \- 

Ichigo shakes his head, trying to exit the stuffy space of his mindscape. He banishes all thoughts of Rukia and kids because there is a dark path and he’s threading dangerously closer to things he’d buried and forgotten, resolved to never bring to life again.

Keigo shouts and argues and they all gather to watch Chad’s match. Ichigo wonders where Ishida is, but then he remembers that he’s at work. Which is unnerving, since the information just popped up into his mind without much tying it together with anything else on the subject, just Ishida’s current profile – _doctor at Karakura Hospital_.

It’s just like when he tries to think about Chad or Keigo, or Tatsuki. There are different jobs for each of them, names and where they live and Ichigo feels a little bit like a computer.

Karin shouts and it is enough to bring him out of his shock-induced stupor. The unsettling feeling dissipates as Ichigo sits down out of reflex on the other end of the sofa, firmly far away from Rukia. He doesn’t even dare look in her direction, he _can’t_.

So, he keeps his eyes on the TV, wondering when Chad ever told him that he changed his mind and forgone his promise to his grandfather not to fight for his own personal gain. As is summoned by that train of thought, the information quickly appears, murky and blurry but still there. Ichigo struggles not to seem obvious, even if he’s internally freaking out.

But no one picks up on it, they are all too preoccupied with the match, though he wonders if he wanted them to.

Keeping his eyes on the screen, Ichigo wishes to stop thinking altogether.

With a long sigh, the young man bows his head and accepts his fate.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gensei = World of the Living
> 
> this is a collection of headcannons i've amassed during the years, all combined together in order to create a bit of order in the mess that is the end of this series  
> ; also the timeline after the timeskip is a complete mystery so rip me  
> i took a lot of liberties while struggling to keep close to what kubo wrote at the same time  
> japanese honorifics and words will be used because this is a japanese series to begin with and otherwise the flavor won't be right
> 
> i hope you enjoy the story


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

**_Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:_ ** _"Ichigo. I enjoy speaking of 'hope'. 'The future can be changed.' That is most certainly true. A wonderful truth, rich with hope. 'You can evolve in the course of battle.' True enough. That, too, is a truth filled with hope."_

* * *

“There he is – Kurosaki-san!” Orihime waves cheerfully, but Uryuu only feels incredible dread filling up his insides.

Barring the fact that Ichigo’s father is a rather wild card, he is an extremely strange man. You can never predict his behavior and Uryuu learned that the hard way.

One moment Kurosaki senior can be as serious as a responsible adult and the next he is behaving like the most idiotic middle schooler.

In all honesty, Uryuu is kind of scared to show up so out of the blue and force a grim discussion onto the older man, but at least he has Chad and Orihime as a buffer. Lord knows that he wouldn’t be caught dead in spitting distance with the man otherwise.

“Oh! If it isn’t Inoue-chan!” Kurosaki waves back enthusiastically until they are a scarce two meters away from one another. Then his face smooths until all that is left is a small smile. “And Sado and Ishida too! To what do I owe this pleasure?”

They are in front of the Kurosaki clinic, but he is cordial enough to not point it out. Obviously, these three crazy kids must have a reason for seeking him out.

“We need to talk with you, Kurosaki-san.” Chad takes the initiative and Uryuu inwardly thanks his friend from the bottom of his heart. “It is urgent.”

Kurosaki raises an eyebrow, but he does not hesitate to usher them inside the clinic. He guides them to his office and invites them in the room, which Uryuu figures, it as good a place as any to talk without Ichigo’s sisters being part of the conversation.

“Well then,” Kurosaki urges and Uryuu sees it in his eyes that they caught his interest.

Chad glances to Uryuu, more in silent confirmation to begin before he turns to Kurosaki again. Orihime stands next to Uryuu, arms crossed behind her back and a sweet smile on her lips.

“We want to save Ichigo from the King’s palace.” Chad declares without much preamble, which is the one thing Uryuu should have expected out of anything else.

To his credit, Kurosaki keeps a straight face and lets Chad continue.

“The Soul Society will soon try to, uh, _divide_ him and-“

“Where did you hear that?” Kurosaki’s tone is low and dangerous. Uryuu’s fingers twitch at his sides. “That term,” the older man ventures when no answer is forthcoming, “where did you hear it?”

It is Uryuu’s turn to speak now.

“Kuchiki and I had a talk with Aizen.” The young man fixes his glasses on his nose more out of an innate reflex than any need for the motion. A strange, unbecoming anxiousness trembles through his veins.

Kurosaki’s lips press together until they almost disappear from his face.

“I know how it sounds,” Uryuu hurries to reassure him, “but that bastard did make some good points. The Soul Society intends to cut Kurosaki up into smaller parts to make sure that he won’t escape his prison.”

Kurosaki sighs and steeples his fingers over the table.

“That is not necessarily all they wish to accomplish with that ritual.”

That effectively shuts them up because it is unnatural for Kurosaki to be volunteering information, and as much as Uryuu doesn’t like the man, he is an unpredictable mine of pure gold when it comes to information. It’s a shame that he doesn’t do it more often.

“With the divide, they carefully open all the spiritual pathways, so that what remains of Ichigo’s spiritual body will align itself with the rest of the universe. There is a reishi crossroads right where that crystal sits. With the divide, they chain him up in that palace forever and remove all things that make him human.”

“Which is the very thing we want to avoid.” Uryuu confirms, trying to stifle his shock at the amount of precious information they just acquired. “Aizen thinks that it will happen soon, but Kuchiki should bring new information on that front after her meeting with the Captain Commander.”

Kurosaki hums as his eyes bore into them, judging, considering. After two tense minutes, he leans back in his chair and exhales heavily.

“I was afraid that it might come to this. Tell me, how are you planning to save my son?”

“We have to find someone to replace Kurosaki-kun.” Orihime says meekly.

Kurosaki nods gravelly. “Exactly. Which is why it cannot happen!”

Uryuu’s jaw would be on the floor, but he is too busy barring his teeth at the declaration.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You’d sacrifice your own son just like that?!”

For the first time, Kurosaki glares and Uryuu can taste the man’s warning on his tongue.

“Of course not! But I know that Ichigo will curse me forever if I dare to force an innocent person into that role just so he can be free. I thought you kids know my son better than that. When he sees that someone else saved his ass, he will fly off the handle.”

“I am aware that Kurosaki’s need to protect people is pathological by now,” Uryuu purses his lips, “but I could care less what he wants or does not want. This is beyond him, this is _our_ fight. If he doesn’t like the end result, he can do whatever the hell he wants after he’s free. My conscience won’t let me just leave him stuck in that icicle, but after we save him, I don’t care anymore.”

“Uryuu-kun!” Orihime hisses, maybe for the first time in her life because she’s more grief-stricken than enraged.

But Chad, bless him, agrees with Uryuu.

“It is up to Ichigo what he does after he is free. But until then, he has no say in our actions.” Chad aligns his visible eye with Kurosaki’s gaze and keeps it there, underlining the importance of this moment. “Our question is, Kurosaki-san, would you offer us a helping hand or not?”

“Whatever your answer will be, it will change nothing.” Uryuu hurries to point out.

Orihime wrings her fingers nervously as she murmurs. “But it would be a huge help if you would…”

Kurosaki sighs, deflating on the spot. He closes his eyes for a minute and it’s enough to make Uryuu infinitely aware of the fact that they are running against the clock, but thankfully, the older man finally awards them with his final answer. The seriousness in his gaze increased tenfold in the past minute, but at least Kurosaki is taking this matter seriously. There is no place for silly games right now.

“I want my son back. Let me join you in saving him.”

* * *

“My deepest apologies for my tardiness, captain Kyoraku!”

Rukia bows as deep as she dares and does not move.

She hears Kyoraku sigh after two moments of silence.

“It’s fine, Kuchiki. Head up.”

The lieutenant looks up, hands unconsciously tightening into fists at her side. She spots Nanao in one corner, watching and judging Rukia from behind her glasses. The woman’s expression denotes nothing, but Rukia has her own theories on why captain Kyoraku keeps trying to summon her here.

This time he succeeded, but only because Aizen made her realize that the best thing to do now is give in. Having someone on the inside is a great advantage and Rukia plans to exploit it to the maximum.

Captains have privileges that lieutenants lack, and receiving sensitive information regarding the new Soul King is one of them.

As much as her heart hurts and her mind denies it, Rukia is pretty sure that Kyoraku wants her to take on the mantle of the thirteenth division. With captain Ukitake’s death, there has been a lot of unrest and a vacuum of power in the squad and, while it was not the only case, it is the last one needed to be solved. The other squads have found new captains, but the thirteenth hasn’t yet, and it brought an unending stream of work onto Rukia’s desk. It isn’t like the load would lessen when she’ll be captain, but at least she gets to name a lieutenant to share that large volume of paperwork with.

For a moment, she chances a thought towards possible options of lieutenants, but then Kyoraku clears his throat and Rukia’s whole attention is caught by his slow movements.

The older man sits down heavily in his seat, inside an empty room save for Rukia and his lieutenant. This is the usual meeting room for the captains, and Rukia partly wonders why he couldn’t receive her in his office rather than here. Driving the point home is a little overkill at this point.

Captain Kyoraku was known for his lax expressions and his lazy demeanor, but those changed with the war. The breezy man from before has been replaced with a serious leader who commands the respect of every room he enters. The expression on Kyoraku’s face is unreadable to Rukia, but at least she can attest to the fact that he is in a wary state of mind. His posture and language tell as much.

“There’s a good reason for calling you today, Kuchiki. I know that you have a lot of work to accomplish, running the squad on your own and whatnot.”

The ‘whatnot’ brings Rukia’s defenses up, but she continues to listen, a blank expression carefully pasted on her face.

“So I won’t keep you long. You must’ve realized that there’s a pretty serious reason on why I kept insisting on asking you to agree to this meeting.”

Rukia nods, carefully pacing herself to not seem too impatient. Captain Kyoraku surely likes to drag things out and it’s maybe the only vestige of his old behavior that continues to survive.

The man steeples his hands together over his lap, gaze falling to a spot on the floor near her feet.

“There have been many talks, both with the captains, the Central 46 and whatever officers remained from the Zero Division. Which are not many, mind you. There used to be thousands, but now there’s only a bunch of them left.”

“With all due respect, captain Kyoraku,” Rukia struggles not to bare her teeth at him, “where were these _officers_ when the war was happening?”

Kyoraku meets her gaze unflinchingly and there’s something cutting behind his remaining eye that puts Rukia on edge.

“Here and there, Kuchiki. Disposing of the Quincies, protecting the Gensei. Just because you didn’t see them, doesn’t mean that they didn’t exist. Actually, if you didn’t see them, it means that they were doing their jobs.”

Rukia blinks, taken aback.

“But then again, you and Kurosaki, along with your other friends, were pretty absorbed in your own world.”

This discussion is becoming more and more like a criticism of the actions and decisions she took in the war and that does not sit well with Rukia, thank you very much. After such a long time, she truly hoped that she wouldn’t have to hear this. If Kyoraku really tried for six whole months to get her to meet him, only to start berating her, he has a thing or two to hear from Rukia’s side as well.

Though before she says something irreversible, she asks.

“Why exactly have you asked me to meet you today, captain commander?”

Kyoraku taps the tips of his fingers together, considering, measuring, weighting.

“Let me first tell you why _you_ think I brought you here. You think that I brought you here to award you the title of captain of the thirteenth division.”

Rukia frowns and opens her mouth, but Kyoraku beats her to it.

“And that is a pertinent conclusion, but as far from the truth as possible.”

Her heart skips a beat and she suddenly feels cold dread fill her stomach.

 _Shit_ , if she doesn’t manage to wiggle her way into the Soul Society’s dirty business, they’ll never have a chance to save Ichigo! They were counting on Kyoraku asking her to be a captain!

Rukia pauses and swallows as another sinking train of thought occurs to her. If Kyoraku didn’t ask her here to pose this question, then why did he? And after insisting for such a long time?

Could he, and Rukia doesn’t even want to think about the repercussions to that, actually have realized that she might try and attempt to rescue Ichigo? Does he want to prevent that?

But how could he know?

Does Kyoraku actually have the authority to banish her and exile her to the Gensei?

 _Well of course he can_ , her mind supplies traitorously, _he is the captain commander_.

Ice fills her veins, a much more painful feeling than usual, and Rukia wants to tear her heart out, though she rather thinks that first she will attempt to claw Kyoraku’s remaining eye out.

“Kuchiki?”

Rukia clears her throat, trying to banish the shards of glass blocking her airways.

“Then why, sir?”

Kyoraku purses his lips and rubs his chin.

“Fact is – we want you to take command of what remains of the Zero Division.”

The truth falls like a hammer and it takes all Rukia’s self-control not to faint on the spot.

“Wh-What?”

“You were the closest to Kurosaki Ichigo, you are a lieutenant, you have Bankai. Just the last two attributes would automatically sign you up for a captain’s position. But right now, we need to consolidate the King’s palace first and foremost. And the dregs of the Zero Division officers are not enough manpower to do it, nor are they exactly inborn leaders.

I am of the opinion that someone from the Gotei 13 would be more equipped for the role. Considering everything I said before, and especially your connection to Kurosaki Ichigo, I decided that you are the best one suited to take command of the Zero Division at the moment.”

Kyoraku pins on her an inscrutable, all knowing, yet completely transparent look that makes Rukia’s knees shake under the pressure.

“My personal opinion is that you will do everything in your power to protect Kurosaki Ichigo, just as he’s done everything in his power to save you so long ago.”

Rukia pushes back the tears clouding her eyes. The boulder sitting on her chest has suddenly vanished and the dangerous mist inside her mind is starting to clear little by little.

She could scream and dance with joy right now because _she did it_.

Not only that, this is maybe the best outcome they could have ever hoped for. Never mind that she will get to stay by Ichigo’s side, now they will definitely be able to find a way to save him, no matter how long and how much effort it takes.

They can do it – _Rukia_ can do it. She will do it by herself if needed.

She could cry, so she bows her head to hide her tears and hopes that her voice is as smooth as she wills it to be when she answers.

“Of course! I shall do everything in my power to protect Kurosaki Ichigo from any harm that may come.”

Not only that, but she will make damn sure that she saves him from this horrible fate bestowed upon him without his consent.

“Thank you for the opportunity, captain Kyoraku, I am honored. I, Kuchiki Rukia, formally accept.”

* * *

“Yeah, I will take it out later, I promise!” Ichigo yells so that Orihime can hear him from downstairs.

The man then turns back to the task at hand – finding his son’s favorite plush toy.

This morning, Kazui has been in tears because he couldn’t find it. As it is with small kids, he pointed accusing, sticky fingers in Ichika’s direction, because the last time he’s seen it was when he and the little girl were playing.

The day when Rukia and Renji visited.

Back when they were watching Chad’s match.

Ishida wasn’t there because he’s apparently a busy doctor.

He hasn’t seen Rukia or Renji in almost ten years, but they somehow found time to visit that day.

His dad wasn’t here when it happened, though Ichigo knows that he’d have been exalted to see Rukia again.

_Where is his dad again?_

Ichigo blinks back to reality and shakes his head.

Who knows where the old man is? Probably irritating Ishida’s dad and trespassing into the Soul Society.

Ichigo finishes climbing the stairs and aligns himself with the door to his old room and Yuzu’s current bedroom.

_As if that is enough of an explanation._

He frowns at the stray thought and opens the door just to escape the unnerving reality of it.

The room is tidy and well organized, definitely different from how it was when Ichigo was its tenant. Granted, his room was pretty clean too. It only failed to remain like that because between wars, exams and unwelcome visitors, Ichigo never had time to properly clean it up.

He steps inside and closes the door behind him, resolved to have a quick look around and leave.

Kazui mentioned that he and Ichika met in Yuzu’s room and played there for a while before they relocated to Kazui’s room.

Which means that this is the first possible place for the poor toy to be.

Ichigo hates snooping through his sisters’ things, but if he closes one eye and hurries, he can forget the whole ordeal.

Try as he might though, the toy is elusive. Orihime already searched for it everywhere downstairs. It was not in their bedroom and it was not in Kazui’s room either.

“It’s not in the bathroom, dad!” Kazui bursts into the room, eyes filled with tears and lower lip quivering.

Ichigo sighs. “Don’t worry, we’ll find it. You just have to remember where you last saw it.”

“I told you,” the little boy whines, “I can’t remember!”

Ichigo carefully extracts himself from under the bed and looks up at Kazui.

“Maybe it will work if you talk to me.” He proposes, trying to keep his calm so that Kazui won’t start crying again. “Tell me from the beginning – you were playing with it in aunt Yuzu’s room and…?”

Ichigo trails off to allow Kazui to continue the story. The little boy bounces into the facts enthusiastically because he gets to talk about one of his favorite days again.

“Yeah! And then mister Whiskers said he had to go to the poo poo, and I let him and then I turned around because he doesn’t like people to watch him and,”

Ichigo exhales, bracing himself for the complete story again. He struggles to filter out any information that is not pertinent to the current case of the missing ‘mister Whiskers’.

“And when I turned around the dark blob was bouncy-bouncy, so I poked it because it was annoying!”

Ichigo frowns.

“Wait, what? What dark blob?”

Kazui’s eyes narrow and he pouts. “The dark blob, daddy! I just said!”

The kid seems offended and does not notice his father’s alarm.

“ _Aaaanyhoow_ ,” Kazui exercises the newest word he learned in kindergarten, “mister blob disafared-“

“Disappeared,” Ichigo corrects automatically.

“But then Ichika scared me when she came from the wall!”

Ichigo blinks. “From the wall? Are you sure Kazui?”

Kazui shoots him a cute glare, mostly because Ichigo dares put to question what he saw. But Ichigo is used to the over exaggerations of little kids, though he is still confused why Kazui would insist that Ichika ‘came from the wall’.

“When you say that she came from the wall-“

“She came from the wall, daddy!” Kazui’s pout doubles and his glare deepens. “From a black round in the wall! Oh!” The little boy’s eyes widen and sparkle as his head whips in said direction. Ichigo looks to that spot, but there is nothing there, not anymore. “Maybe there’s a hide door here!”

“Hidden,” Ichigo murmurs, lifting a hand and probing along the place as well, even though he knows very well that there isn’t one. Kazui jumps in place next to him, excited about the possibility.

There is nothing, no empty space, no hidden hole that can be used to climb from the outside. Besides, this wall connects with the hallway, not with the empty air of the second floor anyway. No additions have been made to the overall construction, so there is no space to shimmy a little Shinigami in there to pop out.

Damn – does Ichika know some kind of kido or whatnot already? Can you even make doorways with kido?

True, Ichigo is still shaky on how kido works, but he’s pretty sure that you can’t really do that without leaving visible traces behind.

Man, Rukia and Renji’s kid is a strange one. Ichigo frowns, not really putting it past an Abarai, but at least Rukia could’ve casually given him a heads up. If her kid can do such freaky stuff, he should be made aware of it when they enter his house.

His gaze falls to the ground and he drops to his knees in the next second, bringing his face infinitely closer to the space between the carpet and the wall.

“Daddy?” Kazui asks tentatively, but Ichigo is too preoccupied with inspecting the strange, black substance resting innocently in the crevice.

It is not exactly writhing in place, but it’s _doing something_ because Ichigo can sense some movement there. It is infinitesimal, yet it is _there._

 _That thing is alive,_ his brain screeches and Ichigo is tempted to light it on fire, but there’s a small kid next to him, so no. Instead, he does the stupid thing – and he can just picture Rukia screaming at him for being a fool in the back of his mind. Not touching freaky stuff is Survival 101, but Ichigo has been one step away from suicidal for quite a large portion of his life, so he lifts a finger and _prods_ at it.

The thing sends shivers down his arm and his blood freezes in his veins with the realization that this feels like Yhwach’s reiatsu from back then. The dark blob also seemed impervious to their existence up until the point that Ichigo touched it.

Alarmingly, now it’s squirming and before Ichigo’s eyes, it dissipates in the atmosphere. Gone, as if it was never there to begin with.

“Did you find mister Whiskers, daddy?” Kazui asks tentatively and Ichigo startles from his shock-induced stupor.

“No,” his voice cracks and he clears his throat, “Sorry, Kazui. Let’s have a look in the other rooms.”

Kazui nods and allows his father to herd him out of his aunt’s room.

Meanwhile, Ichigo mentally pens down the urgent message he needs to send to Rukia.

* * *

“Is this-?” Uryuu begins, though there is absolutely no need to ask.

The location has never been more obvious – or descriptive.

“Kukaku-san!” Orihime greets warmly, enthusiastic and happy, but Uryuu has mixed feelings about visiting Shiba Kukaku’s house again.

He certainly hoped not to have to enter the gaudy establishment again any time in this life or the next. But fate is not on his side because Uryuu is forced inside for a drink by both Kukaku and Ganju, who is over the moon to have them visit.

“It feels like a damn lifetime since I’ve seen you guys!” The younger Shiba exclaims, patting Chad on the back.

The taller man offers a small, sincere smile in answer.

“Didn’t expect to see your ugly mug anytime this century, uncle Isshin.” Kukaku is not one to mince words, but even Uryuu thinks that she was a bit too abrasive this time.

Isshin only laughs though.

“You remind me too much of your mother, Kukaku! She was always just as polite and dignified!”

The woman glares at the impudent words, shouted with cheery affection.

“Is that so?”

“So Kurosaki-san is really your uncle!” Orihime claps her hands with wonder. “That’s so awesome!”

Isshin grins cheekily, but Kukaku only rolls her eyes while Ganju shifts nervously in place.

“I’ve known them since they were little kids.” Isshin confirms breezily. “My older brother was the head of the main branch of the Shiba clan and had three kids.” The man’s gaze softens as past memories surface in his mind’s eye. “On the other hand, they made me the head of a branch family.”

“ _And_ the captain of the Tenth division, yet you dropped from the face of the earth in the split of a second and never ever thought to send us a lousy message.” Kukaku spits with enough venom to render even Orihime devoid of any reply.

But Isshin seems to have made peace with their accusations and their glares because his smile never wavers.

“That I did.” He bows deeply, until his forehead hits the wooden floor. “And I can never apologize enough for not being here when Kaien and Miyako died.”

Uryuu, Chad, Orihime and Ganju watch him in shock, but Kukaku exhales sharply and leans back in against the many pillows propped up behind her.

“You better be sorry.” She waves a dismissive hand. “Save it already, you look ridiculous.”

Isshin winks badly at her and Uryuu thinks he spots a vein pop on Kukaku’s forehead.

Just to avoid another spectacle like the one with Kurosaki and Ganju back then, or another spitfire argument between Isshin and his niece, Uryuu asks the older man.

“Why did you bring us here, Kurosaki-san? I thought you were going to help us save Ichigo.”

At the mention of the name, both Kukaku and Ganju sit up straight, interests piqued and with a thousand questions ready on their tongues.

“We heard about it, but it was too late…” Ganju admits bitterly, as if trying to reign in his anger.

Uryuu can somewhat sympathize with what Ganju has to be feeling, even if their situations are different. The man found out he had a cousin – late, _so late_ , but better late than never – who he coincidentally knew and risked his life for so long ago, and just when they would have time to catch up for real, Ichigo is forced to fill in the Soul King’s empty role. It is obvious that Ganju must be resentful of the soul reapers, even more than before, when his resentment only centered around Shiba Kaien’s death.

Kukaku on the other hand, Uryuu thinks dryly, must have figured out who Ichigo was from the very beginning. Or at least, she must have had a slight idea and a good reason for helping them back then. He wonders why she never said anything about it, but maybe she was waiting to see if Ichigo knew.

Which, of course, is a moot point because Kurosaki is and will always be an idiot. It did not help his situation that his father is a bigger idiot than him, so he’d obviously not tell his son that, _hello_ , you _do_ have family and it’s in the Soul Society. And they are part of a pretty prominent clan, to boot.

Isshin crosses his arms over his chest, a thoughtful expression on his face that spells nothing good.

“There is nothing to worry about.” The older man declares roughly. “Even if you heard about it late, you can help us now.”

“With what?” Kukaku asks dryly, knowing the answer and probably relishing in it, considering the bloody grin on her face.

Uryuu purses his lips at the homicidal tendencies of the woman.

“We are going to save my son.” Isshin answers simply and meets Kukaku’s gaze before he continues. “But for that to happen, I need a favor from you two.”

Ganju blinks, but his sister bares her teeth and Uryuu wonders at the sudden change in attitude.

“No…” Kukaku almost growls but Isshin has no mercy.

“I need you to summon the upper echelons of the Shiba clan, Kukaku. As soon as possible.”

* * *

“Are you fucking serious?!”

Rukia rolls her eyes, but the giddiness buzzing through her body is enough to not let her get derailed. Instead, she grins up at Renji as they finish their trek up the small hill on the southeastern edge of the eleventh Rukongai District.

Over that hill, they will find Shiba Kukaku’s house, where the instructions they received from Isshin Kurosaki and sent through Yoruichi point them to meet up with the rest of their friends.

“Yes, Renji.” Rukia answers patiently, huffing as they start to descend. She can already see the gaudy exterior of that house.

It is also a good distraction for her red haired friend, but not powerful enough.

“How in the hell-“

“If you are going to keep questioning my worth in becoming the Zero Division captain, I will ice you to hell and back, Renji!” The shorter woman glares and Renji, for once, knows when to clap his mouth shut. Rukia sighs, knowing that his stupor is not exactly without merit. “I was just as shocked, to be honest. At _most_ , I thought they’d make me a Gotei 13 captain. But I think that my connection to Ichigo played a huge role in Kyoraku’s decision.”

Renji nods, expression carefully blank. “I guess so, but I wasn’t as much worried about your sudden promotion as I was thinking that you’re going to be all alone in that freaky place.”

And he does make a good point, now that Rukia thinks about it. The Palace is impersonal, cold and empty, and she will definitely feel like an outsider there no matter what she does. There is also the fact that she will basically be isolated from everyone she knows, without a way to see them and it’s enough to make her heart heavy.

But when she thinks of Ichigo up there, alone as well _and_ imprisoned in that crystal, all her worries melt because nothing could be worse than that. She will make damn sure to keep him safe until they can get his foolish ass out of there. And that is enough determination to keep her burning until all of this blows over.

“I will manage, Renji.” She rasps without looking at him. “I’m sure as hell going to manage.”

Renji nods tightly, a bundle of tension that may never again dissipate at this point.

“Besides,” Rukia cannot resist but add, “the officers from the Zero Division who survived will be there. So, I won’t be all alone.”

She grins at him and he rolls his eyes, dramatically.

“Of course, how could I forget?” He asks rhetorically. “Your best buddies.”

Rukia giggles, the motion alleviating some of her own tension, but further discussion is tabled because Shiroganehiko and Koganehiko spring up seemingly from the ground to greet them.

The twins usher Rukia and Renji into the small house that turns out to be very large on the inside because it is mainly built underground. Rukia wonders how the Shibas manage to move around so much while also keeping on digging houses like these.

“It’s so nice to see my third daughter! How are you, Rukia-chan?” Isshin tries to envelop her in a bear hug, but Rukia sidesteps him with forced casualness, long used to such greetings.

The others aren’t though, and they look on with unmitigated curiosity at their interaction.

Kukaku scoffs and snaps at Isshin. “Stop behaving like a ten year old!” 

Her eyes then turn in Rukia’s direction and the woman sends her a sharp nod of acknowledgement that has Rukia relaxing a bit under her scrutiny. She expected a little fury from them because, once again, she has been a participant in an event that left their family down one more member. But luckily, Kukaku and Ganju do not seem to think of it like that, and Rukia is inwardly very thankful because their collaboration means a lot to them and certainly to Ichigo.

“How did the meeting go, Rukia-chan?” Orihime smiles warmly at her and Rukia cannot help but return the gesture.

It takes most of them aback to see her smiling, all but Renji, who just turns his head in the other direction and crosses his arms.

“You will never believe this,” Rukia begins, voice filled with the awe that still courses through her veins. She details the whole meeting for them and, by the end, cheers erupt at the wonderful news.

“That’s amazing!” Orihime claps her hands with excitement.

“Yeah.” Uryuu says, a tad uncharacteristically breathless. There are a thousand computations going on behind his gaze and Rukia leaves it to him to solve this particular equation.

Chad forwards a thumb up with a reassuring smile that makes Rukia beam.

“Not bad, Kuchiki.” Kukaku grouses while Ganju waves his support in the background.

Isshin nods, back to that quiet intensity he adopts when he means to be serious for once.

“That’s good, Rukia-chan. Does your brother know?”

Truthfully, Rukia never thought that Nii-sama wouldn’t, but just in case, after this meeting is over, Renji will go relay the news. Rukia has some tough few days ahead of her, where she will need to balance preparing squad thirteen for a completely new takeover and preparing herself to take on the role of the Zero Division captain.

Not surprisingly, there are quite a few traditional rituals that need to be attended first and foremost before she ascends to the Soul King’s palace.

“Most likely, Nii-sama has known well before I was informed. But Renji will go and make sure just in case he doesn’t.”

The older man nods, satisfied, and returns to his seat.

“You are just in time actually. Kukaku and I just finished arguing.” Isshin drops to the ground with a grin while Kukaku scowls in his direction.

Rukia accepts the seat Ganju points her to and studies the people gathered around curiously. Orihime is the epitome of patience, so she obviously looks like nothing is wrong, but from the tense line of Chad’s shoulders and the constipated expression on Ishida’s face, things are not quite dandy here. Rukia has spent enough time with the Quincy lately to be able to glimpse a few more things on his face than she could in the past.

“And what did you decide?” Rukia asks tentatively when no one seems to want to volunteer an explanation for the wasps of animosity still floating around the large reception room.

Isshin grins. “First and foremost, now that you gave us the best news possible, we have a guarantee that our part of the plan will work.”

“You have _no_ guarantee of that!” Kukaku snaps at him. “Actually, I think you just made it worse!”

Rukia blinks, but Renji is at the end of his patience.

“You better start explaining shit right now.” He growls.

Isshin throws a reproaching look to the current head of the Shiba clan, but the woman is unrepentant.

“The Shiba clan was once one of the five noble families and thus,” Isshin rubs his chin proudly, “has also been handed many important secrets. As you know Rukia-chan, the Kuchiki family is tasked with preserving the Soul Society’s history.”

Rukia nods wearily, most of all because as much as she dug through the Kuchiki clan’s records and the official Archive, she didn’t find much of anything on their current problem. The Kuchiki clan may be tasked with protecting history, but their records lack much in terms of completeness.

“The records they keep safe could virtually destroy and unearth many things that should remain buried. There was also the problem of storage because there was an incredibly large amounts of documents – we’re speaking in the hundreds of thousands.”

Isshin chuckles at their gaping mouths.

“There was no way that the Kuchiki clan could hold onto _all_ of them without expending all of their clan’s manpower to guarding duty. So they decided to divide the load between the noble families that currently existed, one of which was the Shiba clan.”

“You’re saying that the Shiba clan has all those files stored around somewhere?” Renji asks dubiously, eyeing the house they are in critically. Kukaku scowls at him. “And are you _sure_ they are the files we need?”

“They aren’t here, you idiot! And yes, they are. Even if I don’t have the location of the documents, I still have a brief summary of what they contain in case the Kuchiki bastards come knocking on my door.”

The woman grunts and purses her lips in the approximation of a pout.

“The upper echelons of the Shiba clan are still very much an organizational hierarchy and their most important mission is protecting these manuscripts. The Kuchiki clan tried to take them back after the fall of our clan, even if they didn’t really want to. The two clans reached an accord and the records stayed in our possession until the Kuchikis decide that they aren’t safe with us anymore.”

“Aren’t you one of the ‘upper echelons’, Kukaku-san?” Uryuu asks tentatively.

At the mere mention of the title, Kukaku recoils like he bit her.

“Guess so.” Her hiss makes the bead of sweat on Uryuu’s forehead slip to his chin. He hastily wipes it and insists.

“Then you should know where they are!”

Isshin unhelpfully laughs. “They don’t trust her to stay put! They wouldn’t trust her with the exact location of the library.”

Ganju snorts softly while Kukaku only raises her chin, as if this fact is not a danger to her pride.

“But Kukaku is the official head of the Shiba clan and she has the authority to summon the rest of the upper echelons, which she just did. We just sent the message before you arrived, Rukia-chan.” Isshin grins, a little strained but nonetheless genuine. “They should be here in the next few weeks.”

Rukia’s mouth curves into a smile of gratitude.

“That’s great!” She glances at Renji first before she continues. “Then I leave this to you. Renji and Nii-sama will be your primary contacts in the Soul Society after I’m gone.” Her expression darkens when she thinks of the last piece of their complicated puzzle. She looks to her partner in crime on that particularly evil subject. “I leave Aizen in your hands, Ishida.”

A groan almost escapes the Quincy, but at the last moment, he manages to push it down and say.

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

Isshin chuckles and pats him on the back, which Uryuu does not personally like.

Renji exhales, deflating. “Then I guess it’s settled.”

Uryuu crosses his arms, jaw clenched at the seemingly monumental task ahead of them. Not only will they have to negotiate with the Shiba clan’s upper echelons and convince them to peruse their most precious treasure, they have to be absurdly fast about it or else they risk Kurosaki becoming a human paperweight. Not only that, but apparently, _he_ has to juggle Aizen’s craziness all by himself too.

“This is getting worse and worse.” The young man mutters to himself, his words getting drowned out in the cacophony of sounds inside Kukaku’s reception room.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

_**Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:**_ " _How many times do I have to tell you? I will tolerate no petty bickering in my presence. Conflict does not please me._ "

* * *

Ichigo taps his foot on the pavement, grim, uncomfortable and definitely not a fan of how late Rukia is.

He called her last night, after a long moment of deliberation on whether he should make his findings public or not, and he had reached the conclusion that he’d rather not risk it. That is to say, he’d rather not risk telling Orihime or his other friends, but he _did_ realize that he should tell _someone._ And the best someone is a soul reaper, equipped to _deal_ with the problem.

So he called the only soul reaper he trusts with his life, though if his life was really at stake here, he’d be dead twenty times over because of how late she is.

At some point after the sun has set behind the hills guarding Karakura from the rest of the world, in his infinite boredom, Ichigo registers the shift in the air. Next, a tiny bright spot appears, unfolding itself into a Senkaimon through which Rukia steps out, clad in her Shinigami robes.

Ichigo’s heart executes a painful thrum at the image of her captain’s cloak and the Zanpakuto sheathed on her hip, but he pushes whatever misgivings he has down, _down_ because he’s decided to leave that life behind and _move on_. He can’t have moved on if he weeps at the sight of a mere uniform.

“What is it, Ichigo?” She sounds tired, but that is to be expected.

He didn’t really make it any easier, telling her to meet him without divulging the reason why, but he thinks that this particular news shouldn’t travel with a Hell butterfly. But there is also an ingrained reflex in him, sharpened after so many years of knowing her, that the first thing he does is scowl like an idiot.

“You’re late,” he accuses, as if he doesn’t know why. But he also doesn’t want to think about the why or Shinigami business. “If I was in danger, I’d be dead by now.”

Rukia raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Then I could have met you directly in the Soul Society and spared myself the journey here.”

Ichigo’s eyes narrow, but he brushes aside the snide comment because his discovery is truly gnawing at him and there is no way to avoid it anymore. The opening repertoire is done and over with.

“So, uh, I found something in Yuzu’s room, where the kids played that day.” His opening phrase leaves a lot to be desired, but Ichigo is trying his best.

If anything, Rukia is of the same opinion because it is her who turns a scowl onto him now.

“I swear, if you called me just to give me back something that could be easily _mailed_ -“

“What, no! Look!” Ichigo raises his arms, but he has nothing tangible to offer. “I was searching for one of Kazui’s toys today and I found a small blob of reiatsu, like what Yhwach’s done before. It was _exactly_ the same, but I couldn’t find out much more because when I touched that thing, it disappeared!”

“Ichigo,” Rukia begins slowly, obviously treating him like an idiot and he hates this side of her, especially when he knows that she isn’t taking him seriously, “that is impossible because Yhwach’s reiatsu has disappeared completely. The Science Division can confirm that. Captain Kurotsuchi, Nii-sama and captain Soi-Fon were personally on the site of the last big reiatsu fragment and they saw it vanish with their own eyes.”

“And when was that?”

Rukia tilts her head, thinking. “Around the time we visited you, I think.”

Ichigo has an ‘aha’ moment right there. “But this one piece remained!”

“You told me that it disappeared.”

“It did after I touched it, but what if there are any more-?”

“Stop.” The simple, low command from Rukia cuts him off successfully. Ichigo almost takes a step back when he sees her glare. “Don’t you dare bring old ghosts back, Ichigo! I don’t want to hear that bastard’s name ever again!”

Her demeanor is cold and detached, but there is anger and fear behind her eyes and Ichigo doesn’t know which one he hates the most. Paradoxically, his hackles rise, mostly because she puts up such an uncaring front.

_In front of him._

When she _knows_ – more than anyone else besides him – what had to be sacrificed. What they all had to throw away at the end of that farce of a battle.

“Why are you so scared all of a sudden, Rukia?” Ichigo’s scowl is so fierce that she blinks in surprise. “He’s never coming back, is he?”

Rukia straightens her back, brows furrowing.

“Of course he isn’t, you idiot!”

“Then why do you look scared to death when you talk about him?!”

She draws back at his shout, but by now Ichigo is too overwhelmed by all the incomprehensible things that keep happening around him.

First, he had no choice but to fight other people’s fights. Then, just when he thought he had found a place to belong, it was snatched away from his hands. Sacrifice is a word ingrained into his very being by now, and he understands the pain and the denial involved better than anyone. He’s had to give up so many things, and now Rukia is telling him to give up this last burst of _something_ that manifested right in front of him. The last sign that _maybe_ things are not what they seem.

It might be nothing, but then again, it can be _something_.

She is telling him to give up _hope_. The only one who brought hope along with her, like the warm rays of the sun after a storm, stands in front of him, looks him in the eyes and tells him to forget about it.

To forget the past and never look back at it again.

And that is the one thing Ichigo cannot accomplish, no matter how much he tries. The past will forever haunt him because the past holds more things, more possibilities than the future does. He keeps falling back into bad habits and false paths, only just so he can taste that past again, but it keeps eluding him and he ends up grasping at nothing more than thin air.

Air that tastes bitter and toxic, and fills his lungs until all he can do is let it go, _but he won’t_ because if nothing else came out of so many fights to the death, he managed to gain a sadistic streak the size of the Seiretei.

“How could I not be?!” Rukia has always been the only person able to discard whatever bad mood hangs around his person and measure up with a counterargument that is equally snappish. “Do you even hear yourself, Ichigo!? You,” she stops, swallows almost convulsively and Ichigo watches her, riveted to the spot, “you sound as if you’re _excited_ and I don’t think I like that.”

A snort escapes him, short but to the point.

“I think we’re way past the time that you can impose your opinion on me, _Kuchiki-san_.”

Rukia recoils, as if he just hit her. In a way, he might’ve. But she’s also the first one to address him as ‘Kurosaki-kun’, on the day before her wedding, and Ichigo swears that the word cut worse than Kenpachi’s sword ever did.

“Then why in the hell did you even call me here, you-!“

“Fine then, forget about that!” Ichigo cuts her off with a small amount of satisfaction when she remains open-mouthed for a moment. “Tell me this – how did Ichika get into Yuzu’s room? Kazui told me that she appeared from the wall through a black circle!”

He watches closely for any kind of reaction, but it is nothing like he imagined.

Rukia closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. “What the hell are you talking about? That's a kido, you idiot! I used the same thing the night _I_ got into your room all those years ago!”

Ichigo is rightfully confused and he gapes at her. 

“Really!?” He asks dumbly. "I don't remember that!" Ichigo explains rather defensively. "I was too preocuppied by the fact that there was some creep tresspassing in my room!"

He pauses to gather his thoughts and then shakes his head to put a semblance of order to them.

"I am more concerned that she appeared just after a fragment of Yhwach's reiatsu got dispelled by Kazui. What does that mean?"

He barely finishes the sentence before Rukia starts to shake her head, dismissively, sadly. Ichigo's blood boils. 

“Ichi-Kurosaki-kun, _stop_. Are you _sure_ that what Kazui saw was true about the reiatsu? He’s just a kid. They’re just kids.”

Ichigo is, first and foremost, offended that she’s questioning his son’s intelligence.

“I kind of doubt it, Rukia. Kazui wouldn’t lie so stop avoiding it! Do you know what the hell that was?”

There is a lull in their conversation, but the spark of conflict only seems to get brighter.

“I don’t know what you want me to say. I personally never saw any slip of that black reiatsu anywhere near her and I don’t know what Kazui saw. My daughter isn't an agent of evil, Ichigo!”

Ichigo should be feeling lighter with the revelation, but the only thing slithering around his chest is an ominous uncertainness that shouldn’t exist in this future they sacrificed everything to have.

He tries – one last time.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Rukia nods her head, rings the bell, closes the deal. 

Everything is set into stone yet Ichigo feels his feet leave the ground.

He must look worse than he thinks because Rukia is at his side in an instant, eyes wide and alert.

“Ichigo, stop this already! I don’t know what you’re trying to say or do, but there’s nothing there! Stop doing this to yourself.”

“’I’m just imagining things’,” the world suddenly stops spinning and instead vanishes until only Rukia remains, “right?”

A beautiful rendition of a statement that has been haunting him for the better part of his life. At first, he used to tell it to himself, but then Rukia appeared so there was no need to pretend to imagine the spirits anymore. But then Yhwach was defeated and that dreadful sentence came back again, on and on, until Ichigo thought he’d really gone crazy, even as everyone let it slide.

PTSD they said, and Ichigo listened to them. But he’s done listening now, not when it’s staring at him right in the face.

Rukia’s wide eyes are narrowed to slits. “Aren’t you? Think about it-”

It’s enough to give Ichigo enough energy to take a step away from her. He can’t stand there and pretend, and he can’t stay here and discuss the probability of him going insane.

“I’m done with thinking.” He digs his hands deep inside his pockets and shivers in the cold air of the night. Rukia is as still as a ghost, eerie, elegant and pale under the moonlight, her skin like ivory. “It was nice seeing you, I guess.”

She’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

* * *

The way to the Greater Palace is long enough to draw Rukia out of whatever reverie she’s fallen into and instead makes her want to rip her hair out.

Fresh and early in the morning, she presented herself to the bottom of the stairs that will ultimately lead her to her newest place of dwelling. In that narrow plane of existence between the Soul Society and the Royal dimension, captain commander Kyoraku explained to her that she will be handed the key by the remaining guard who will be there to greet her when she arrives in the Reioukyuu.

The doorway connecting the dimensions will finally close and the Royal dimension will be once again cut off from the rest of existence – _Rukia_ will be closed off from the rest of the world with only Ichigo’s frozen form and a crowd of strangers for company, the latter who will probably not hesitate to give her a hard time.

She certainly hopes that no power plays are at risk. The last thing Rukia wants is to be fighting to keep her station and the peace while she has to prepare for the final stages of the plan.

Isshin promised to keep in touch, though when Kyoraku mentioned that the dimensions will once again split, she began wondering how exactly he intends to keep that promise. But Rukia doesn’t doubt that he will find a way to – that man is too much like Urahara not to be able to create his own road when there isn’t one.

Suffice is to say, Rukia has a lot of cleaning up to do. Her eyes dance around the destruction with practiced precision, noting the various things that need to be rebuilt or simply wiped out as they are unsalvageable. She categorizes them inside her mind, trying to make the time pass by in a productive way since she still has quite a long way to go.

Yhwach and his acolytes dealt a lot of damage to this place, but it’s nothing that Rukia cannot manage to restore. At the very least, she has to find an occupation in this dreary place. Already, the scarce pieces of construction that are still standing feel like they are closing in on her. The white and the impersonality of it all is more off-putting than the last time she was around. Back then, their main problem was defeating the enemy – they did not have time to sightsee.

But to live in such a place – Rukia clicks her tongue – she isn’t so sure that it is going to be an enjoyable arrangement.

Beggars can’t be choosers though, and it’s not like she’s doing this out of the most profound sense of duty. No, she is here to save that dumb idiot who let himself be sealed away.

Granted, Ichigo hasn’t been in the best of shape – either mentally or physically. There’s been a moment just after he slayed Yhwach when he faltered, and the Soul Society has been there to take advantage of it. Never let it be said that the soul reapers aren’t prepared to throw it all away in the face of their own interests. It was more important to find a new Soul King than to help in saving the world, after all.

Or maybe, a small part of her mind sneers, they’ve been grooming Ichigo all along. They were watching over him, trying to gauge whether or not he will come out of this fight as a victor or a loser, and depending on that, they made their final move.

Rukia hasn’t been there to see it, but Ishida reported what he managed to catch before he seemingly lost consciousness. Though Rukia does wonder if the sealers didn’t just put him to sleep in order to prevent him from partaking in this sacred Soul Society ritual. The Quincy didn’t manage to see their faces though, so they have nothing to go on. Aizen was losing so much blood, it was a shock that he was still alive when they found him. He had nothing for them but a mirthless smile that spoke a thousand expletives about the incident.

Rukia hopes to remedy this loss of information once things settle around the Royal dimension.

The endless steps finally end. She is derailed for a moment, wondering why there’s no step anymore when she feels like there should be one.

The large plateau Rukia steps onto is vaguely familiar – they’ve been here before, once, when they were struggling to get stronger and survive. The many buildings have halfway fallen into disrepair, so she will have to remedy that too.

But first and foremost – there is a string of men, clad in black clothes, with their faces obscured. They stand at attention, hands behind their backs and still as statues. Rukia recognizes them as the Second-Class Divine soldiers once commanded by Senjumaru Shutara.

Further back, on their knees, more masked men stand before their superiors. Rukia wonders if they are studying her or if they just do not care for another Soul Society puppet sent to just die in this place.

She absently grips at the edge of her white coat – a similar number to what the Gotei 13 captains wear, but instead of any number, there are four Jinchouge flowers. Beautiful but dangerous. Rukia wonders what was in their minds when they chose this flower.

“Kuchiki Rukia-sama, welcome.” The man standing in the middle, right across the scarce five meters from her, speaks in a deep ground voice that has her gritting her teeth. His vocal cords certainly don’t seem used to being _used_. “We shall commence the handing over of the key, after which you will officially become the captain of the Royal Guard.”

He steps back and Rukia tenses in preparation, wondering what exactly they want her to do. Three soldiers and the man who spoke surround her, languidly, unhurriedly though there is an air of impatience floating over their heads.

Kyoraku never told her what handing over the key implies, but she thought that they will simply present it to her and be on their way. This looks more like the rituals their kind seems to favor than the simple act of offering her an object.

The truth is, maybe Kyoraku was right not to tell her. Or maybe he didn’t know how painful the process is.

Information after fact, after which more information enters her mind, uninvited, unwelcome. Rukia learns in the span of three seconds everything she needs to know about the palace, the rules, the regular conduct around here. She is the only member of the Royal Guard, but she will have to be enough.

The dwelling places of the former Guards have been destroyed and she is free to choose any place she wishes to make into her quarters. As expected, she is to handle the cleanup of the destruction and the reconstruction, but more in the realm of handing over orders to the officers. She is supposed to make a plan of action, lay down the new procedure for guard duty, direct what goes where.

Shockingly, she learns that there are also non-combatants here, invisible through means other than Kido. They simply are so unremarkable and low on spiritual pressure that you cannot possibly notice them – not when your body possesses a large amount of reiatsu. They simply fall so below the radar that they are effectively invisible.

Rukia will have to see to their duties too, organize their efforts in a more effective manner.

Besides the mental pain of having information shoved inside her head, Rukia bites down on a rather unearthly howl when the amount of physical pain she feels grows ten times worse. Her body is on fire, yet her veins are filled with ice. Something tingles under her skin, like a swarm of ants have gotten lose all over her arms and legs. She grits her teeth, so hard they should properly crack under the pressure.

The process ends as abruptly as it begun. It leaves Rukia breathless and cold. Her skin is tingling and it’s so damningly obvious now where the key really is. She looks up to the only man who spoke, a thousand questions in her eyes that he somehow manages to glimpse from under that sheet of black fabric.

“Now, this world shall once again close its gates. My name is Reihachi, I am the commander in charge of the troops in the palace. You and I will collaborate often, ma’am.” He turns on his heels to face the troops then. “I present to you – Kuchiki Rukia, captain of the Zero Division.”

The men salute once, like a well-oiled machine, and then the party breaks, a hundred bodies going in different directions.

“Where do you wish to go first, captain?”

Muscles trembling from an unseen exertion, Rukia feels like she just ran around all the Rukongai Districts. But she also came here with only one person in mind, and the thought of him still thrives in there, unbothered, unshakable.

A constant that she’s aiming towards without pause or thought otherwise. So, she looks up into Reihachi’s invisible eyes and commands.

“Take me to him.”

* * *

Uryuu taps his fingers on the glass of water in front of him, silently wondering how his life has boiled down to babysitting stupid soul reapers. It isn’t even the first time, yet the problem seems to be repeating itself more often than not.

He can just imagine his father’s disdainful face and hear his dry tone when he presents his thoughts on this in a thousand sharp words. Uryuu prefers not to ever hear it but seeing how things are going he might be seeing Ryuuken earlier than not at all.

His father might be a scornful hard ass, but he is as helpless in the face of Isshin Kurosaki’s mighty pestering as Uryuu was the first time he tried to put up a fight with fate. Then he realized that he might as well be swimming against the current, for all that his effort goes nowhere.

At least he could keep an eye on Kurosaki that way.

But now he needs to keep an eye on Kurosaki’s father, who is even more ridiculous than the orange haired idiot ever was.

“Uryuu-kun, can you help me tie this?”

Orihime holds up a light blue obi and Uryuu complies, inwardly happy to be able to help her. The times when he lets himself be a blubbering teenager with a crush are few and far between because his life is more than interesting as it is, but that side of him usually rears its head when Orihime is in the vicinity.

Uryuu might be analyzing this from the wrong point of view, but this is what he does best. Clinically inspect the problem from all angles in order to come up with the best solution. Only this time, the solution is complex however much he thinks it over. The only way to really come to a conclusion would be to confess his feelings to the girl, but Uryuu will first swallow glass and then die of embarrassment before he manages to complete the full sentence.

That is how bad he is at social interaction.

But it is not how he handles it.

Outwardly, Uryuu finishes tying Orihime’s obi with a flourish and the girl turns to him with a wide, sweet smile that has him blushing. Thankfully, Orihime remains as oblivious as ever, so she doesn’t notice anything and instead continues to chatter away about the final preparation for the huge banquet Isshin and Kukaku are throwing for the upper echelons of the Shiba Clan.

Uryuu was shocked to find out that this is something to be expected when it comes to big clans with prestigious pretenses. They used the biggest room in Kukaku’s house for the occasion, stripped it of everything inside and arranged three long tables in the form of an upside-down U. Pillows are thrown on the ground in the form of chairs and Ganju’s squad has been tasked with preparing a mountain of food for their guests.

Isshin has been conspicuously absent, though Kukaku didn’t seem too mad about it. He is back now though, and the level of clamor has thus increased until Uryuu’s head pulses along with their shouts. Ganju and Kurosaki weren’t a good combination, but Ganju and Isshin are a hellish pair set on killing every last one of Uryuu’s qualms about murdering people.

There is nothing left to do now than play good hosts, but until the Shiba elders arrive, Uryuu just wants to take a minute and compose himself. From what he’s heard, many of the men who will gather here tonight are former Soul Reapers or businessmen from the richest Rukongai Districts. Their eyes are undoubtedly sharp but Uryuu will not let them catch any single mistake from him.

“You are so bad at this, Ganju!” Isshin throws his head back and guffaws, much to Uryuu’s frustration.

The young man scowls, obviously not pleased by the uncultured way a – _supposed_ – clan head behaves.

“Uryuu-kun?”

Uryuu snaps out of it at when Orihime’s voice drifts from a closer place than it has been before. The Quincy bites down on his yelp when he finds the girl’s face very near his own.

He takes a shaky step back, but Orihime just follows him without blinking.

“I-Inoue-san?” Uryuu will chalk his suddenly high voice to surprise. “Why are you standing like this?”

Orihime tilts her head before her mouth curves into an amused smile.

“You seemed very out of it, Uryuu-kun! I was hoping to bring you back to reality.”

And her efforts were very effective, Uryuu completely agrees inside his head, trying to slow down his wildly beating heart. He hoped to mask the red in his face behind his hand as he reaches up to fix the glasses on his nose.

“Anyway, is there anything left to do that I can help you with?”

Being the head organizer for this event was enough to give anyone nightmares, but Orihime soldiered through with a patient smile and an iron fist. Thus, the place was impeccable, but Uryuu still worries that the old fossils coming to visit will strive to proclaim their discontent loudly.

The young woman shakes her head and cups her elbows in her hands, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“The only thing left is to wait for the guests. It was very nice of you and Sado-kun to volunteer your help.” It was barely in the realm of possibilities that Uryuu and Chad wouldn’t sign up for the job the moment Orihime offered her help to Kukaku. The Shiba clan head was truly clueless when it came to social events’ etiquette. At least with Orihime’s help, the current Shiba headquarters have never looked better. “I really couldn’t have done this without you.”

Much to both his pleasure and displeasure in equal quantities, Chad pulls up next to them just as Orihime finishes saying that. Their friend offers a tiny smile in return and Uryuu only trusts himself to give a nod, grateful for her kind words and flustered by them all the same.

“How long do you think it would be-“

As if the gods – and now that he thinks about it, that bastard Kurosaki must really be on his ass ever since he became the Soul King slash god – were listening, Uryuu doesn’t even need to finish his question.

The main door slides open with such force, it flies off its hinges.

A thousand possibilities fly through Uryuu’s mind, but none of them prove to become reality because no old man steps over the threshold.

Ginjo does, though, along with that bastard Tsukishima. Ganju follows behind, eyes slit into a glare as he studies the poor door.

“Please tell me you didn’t murder your way to the top of the Shiba clan.” The words escape Uryuu’s mouth before he can really think about them, but it’s not like the bastards don’t deserve it.

Still, Ginjo does slide a hateful glare in his direction, while the other simply shrugs his comment away, not bothering to acknowledge either Chad or Orihime even though the latter waves at them in greeting.

Ganju’s face immediately clears of any ill emotions and he’s grinning as he walks up to the three.

“Yo! The place is amazing, Orihime! Thanks for the help.”

Orihime returns Ganju’s energy with a sunny smile and clasps her hands, delighted.

“I’m glad you like it, Ganju-san! It was really hard because…”

Knowing the dirty details already, Uryuu opts to keep an eye out on the two former Fullbringers that just can’t seem to want to disappear from their lives. The Quincy is aware that Kukaku extended a helping hand to not only these two after they arrived in the Rukongai District, and Ganju trained along with them for the final battle against the Wandenreich, but that still leaves the fact that they are still _here_ an open question.

“Shouldn’t you be somewhere in the Soul Society, enjoying your afterlife?”

This time Ginjo doesn’t even glance at Uryuu, too preoccupied with pouring himself a cup of sake.

“Afterlife is overrated, kid. You will see what I mean in a jiffy.” The man scrunches up his nose at the liquid, displeased, but still drinks it in one go.

“Freeloading off a rich clan is a good strategy nonetheless.”

“Guess so, huh.”

Tsukishima huffs out a laugh and Uryuu feels Chad shift next to him.

“Why are you really here, Ginjo? Tsukishima-san?” Chad’s tone warns that they should answer honestly for once.

“We are irrevocably indebted to the Shiba clan, and most of all to Kukaku-san and Ganju.” Tsukishima answers amiably, sitting down at Ginjo’s table. “So we have come here for moral and physical support, no more and no less. This impending gathering is sure to be a wild one.”

Ginjo’s eyes glint under the low artificial lights. “Nothing better to spice up your afterlife than with some good old-fashioned violence.”

“Hopefully not.” Uryuu fixes his glasses again, trying not to bare his teeth.

Orihime finally finishes her animated talk with Ganju and turns to her friends, but then Isshin steps inside the room, talking loud enough to make Uryuu’s glasses crack.

He guides two older men – younger than Uryuu would have expected, but still old enough to count three digits in their ages – to a nearby table and never once takes his eyes off his guests. The man is surprisingly composed, and Uryuu would dare to call him _well_ _mannered_ , which is one thing that he never thought to attribute to Ichigo _or_ his father.

Kukaku makes her appearance a bit after, followed by a throng of other people, which so obviously belong to the same family, it is _painful_.

They look so much like each other, and in turn, they look horrifyingly like Ichigo and Isshin or Kukaku and Ganju, _or both_. Some don’t, but Uryuu thinks that it’s maybe because they are from a distant branch of the family or maybe some other sets of genes have finally won.

Chad and Orihime remark on this too, but Uryuu is too slack-jawed to do much but observe the steadily gathering clamor.

And then Kukaku gives the order and they must spring into action, serving the food that Ganju’s squad has dished out artistically onto plates and into bowls. Orihime handles beverages and Chad takes care of carrying the hardest plates to carry since he has a one in a million chance to fall on his face, as opposed to Uryuu’s long legs prone to tripping or Orihime, who is clumsy by nature. Uryuu takes care of the effects, of the simpler plates and bowls.

They make an effective team – as per usual.

The guests barely seem to glance in their direction for the whole duration of the feast.

Kukaku sits at the head of the table, her brother and Isshin on both sides. She awards scowls when talk turns sour, laughs loudly when she wants to make a point and points unnerving looks at people when she doesn’t like what she hears.

Isshin is a conundrum bigger than before. He’s left his jokester attitude far behind and is now the perfect picture of an adult and the head of a branch family. There is nothing sloppy or lazy in his actions and Uryuu has a feeling that there never was before either. All of that was for show, to distract, to construct an image inside their minds that has nothing to do with the original. And now they are left wrong-footed and that is _exactly_ what Isshin wanted to begin with.

Uryuu grits his teeth. Damn that Kurosaki Isshin. Ichigo doesn’t have a dram of the deception his father is capable of in his whole body and Uryuu is internally glad for that. He hates this type of people arduously. Maybe that is one reason he did grudgingly accept Ichigo’s presence in his life – the other boy was refreshingly straightforward in a world where there was hardly such a thing anymore.

“Alright, let’s get down to business!” Kukaku slams her fist on the table sometime around tea and dessert.

The empty plates clatter and every pair of eyes in the room turns to her.

But Kukaku simply glances at Isshin, silently giving him the spotlight and the man sighs and crosses his arms over his chest.

His eyes dance from one face to another and Uryuu waits with trepidation for him to speak.

“I want to ask your permission to use the Shiba clan’s ancient archives.”

Uneasiness permeates the room. The men and women gathered look to one another, half in fear, half in revolt.

“Denied.” One plum woman who looks like Isshin says mildly. “That library is off-limits, Isshin-boy, you know that.”

Ginjo’s mouth twists and turns, and its disconcerting because in this context it cannot be funny.

One man with a mustache and bearing a semblance of closeness to Ganju says. “After such a long time of not showing your face around here, you come to us and ask such a thing. You have nerve, son!”

Isshin takes their harsh refusal without blinking.

“The situation has changed.” The former captain intones in a flat voice and Uryuu is seized by a very bad feeling. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have shown my face around here at all.”

Gasps and glares follow and Uryuu wants to bash his head against the nearest wall. Figures that Kurosaki’s father will manage to turn the situation from good to bad.

Ganju opens his mouth, but a look from his sister makes him to hold fast onto his words.

Isshin purses his lips, obviously somewhat aggrieved, though Uryuu thinks that he barely has the right to be.

“Kurosaki Ichigo,” Kukaku takes over, looking at each member of the clan in turn, “you must have at least heard the name.”

The majority of them nod and Uryuu’s heart fills with hope. Kukaku seems to be of the same opinion because she grins, all teeth and pleased.

“He is Isshin’s boy. And right now, he’s a prisoner of the soul reapers.”

Another round of gasps, but less so this time. Instead, many pairs of eyes narrow in calculation. Kukaku either doesn’t care, or this is exactly what she was aiming for.

“The Soul reapers managed to imprison him in an impregnable place where he cannot hope to escape by himself. This is where we come in.” The woman jabs a thumb at her chest and raises her chin. “Whatever uncle Isshin’s misgivings are, Ichigo is our cousin and a member of our clan, whether he knows it or not. And the Shiba clan never leaves its people stranded and helpless!”

Ten of the fifteen Shiba heads nod accordingly, while the rest look on with doubt in their gazes, trying to figure out what the endgame is. As they should, under _other_ circumstances, but right now these people represent a hindrance that Uryuu hopes Kukaku and Isshin will be able to overcome by the end of this conference.

“Of course we heard about the savior of the Soul Society.” Says a man who looks around twenty and whose appearance resembles Ichigo a bit. His eyes are green though, and the skin of his forearms is painted with the Shiba clan’s symbols. Uryuu studies the spirals as the man clasps his hands in front of his face. “Some of us even received photographs.”

The half-smirk on his face makes Uryuu’s eyes narrow in return. That man seems to be taking their words less seriously than he should.

“I, for one, am in favor of helping you, my dear cousin.”

Isshin bows his head shortly and Uryuu wonders how many first, second and third cousins Ichigo has in the Soul Society. At this rate, it will be a nightmare to even try to remember everyone’s birthdays. Uryuu certainly doesn’t envy Kurosaki right now. He’d rather be swallowed by a Hollow than face such a large congregation on “family” specific holidays and whatnot.

“I do not see why not.” A slim old woman with a thick pair of glasses perched up on her nose agrees with the first man. “After all, everyone should always help each other in a family.”

The rest of the Shiba delegates exchange quick looks between them before the man with the thick mustache takes the lead.

“Alright then. We shall extend our help to you, Isshin. What exactly do you need from us?”

Kukaku raises a fist in victory while Orihime gasps and turns to Uryuu with such a happy expression that it makes the young man smile too. Ganju bellows a short sound of excitement before settling down when Isshin speaks again.

“The archives from the Kuchiki family regarding the history of the Soul Society.”

“The history of the Soul Society? Why would you need those to help Ichigo-boy escape from prison?” The plump woman from before asks, leaning forward over the table. Her weird eyebrows make for a distracting sight in the middle of this serious discussion.

Isshin opens his mouth to answer but Kukaku beats him to it.

“Because Ichigo has been imprisoned in the Soul King’s palace by the soul reapers. We need the archives to find a way to break him out of there.”

“In the Soul King’s… palace?”

Their jaws hang open but, Uryuu notes with increasing alarm, that some people look suddenly interested in this unexpected development. Anger sparks inside his chest, but he bites his tongue and trusts that Kukaku and Isshin will deal with the power-hungry sharks.

“Yes.” Isshin taps his fingers on the rim of his glass. His tone is deceptively calm, and Uryuu has seen it in Kurosaki too, just before he is about to explode. “They aim to make him the Soul King. We hope to save him before that.”

“Do you not realize what this means, Isshin?” A burly man, who hasn’t spoken up until this moment, looks at Isshin scandalized. “If your son becomes the Soul King, we shall be the royal family!”

“You dare try take this away from us!” Another old man hits his fist on the table.

Uryuu gets it now, all too clearly.

When it comes to saving Ichigo from a nondescript prison, most of them are silent.

But if there is a chance to become the _royal family_ of the Soul Society, everyone jumps in, trying to defend their not-yet-acquired title.

At Uryuu’s side, Chad’s back straightens and the Quincy has to extend an arm, hoping to keep the other man there by the strength of his will alone. On the other side of the room, Orihime covers her mouth with her hands and meets Uryuu’s eyes. Fear swims behind her gaze, and the Quincy is unsure whether he is more repulsed by the sudden turn of events or angrier because they made Orihime feel like this.

“Hey, hey!” Isshin’s cousin – the man who looks like Ichigo – barks at his relatives. “What the hell are you suddenly spouting over there? Should I remind you what happened after Kaien’s death?”

“I think a refresher would be good, Kaname.” Kukaku slams her cup of sake on the table so hard it shatters. Her eyes burn with rage when she opens them to look at the assembled clan heads. “Suddenly, being the gatekeepers to the royal realm is not enough for you. Damn ingrates!”

Many jump up in protest, but Kukaku’s scowl is worse than any attack she can dish out, so they back down from the inevitable fight.

And yet, one brave soul still tries to argue.

“Kaien’s death has nothing to do with this matter!”

From one, more sprout, like fleas.

“Do you realize what you’re asking us to do?!”

“We will be considered traitors by the Soul Society!”

“And you aren’t?” Ganju finds it in himself to pour oil on the fire.

“How dare you, young man-“

“This mess is unacceptable from all points of view-“

“We might guide people to the royal realm, but there are still boundaries and if we dare overstep them, it’s over!”

“Shut your traps!”

Everyone in the room stops at the fierce command, though their mouths are still halfway open. Uryuu’s ears ring from the incredible clamor. They are as loud as Kurosaki is, damn it all.

“Eh, Kukaku-nee-san, I think that they got it.” Kaname tries to bring some peace onto the sudden battlefield. He looks from the disgruntled faces of the men around the table to Isshin, and his face melts into a small smile that is at once encouraging as it is knowing. In contrast, his eyes droop to rest on the table and darken as he continues. “Kaien-nii-san was the very best cousin anyone could ask for.”

Kaname’s voice is soft, yet it immediately brings everyone around the table to attention.

“No offence, Kukaku-nee-san, Ganju-kun!”

Kukaku clicks her tongue but Ganju’s mouth twists into a wry smirk.

“None taken, Kaname!” 

Kaname grins slightly at his cousin before his face shifts back into a serious expression.

“I only got to know him for a short while, but I still consider him as an older brother. Then I hear that I’ve had another cousin all along, in the World of the Living, but I’ve never got to meet him even when he was here in the Soul Society. And now he’s a prisoner of the soul reapers and forced to become something he does not want to. That is no way to live!” Kaname turns a scowl full of anger towards his gathered family. “Kaien would be ashamed to see you throw this kid to the wolves for just a sliver of your old status back!”

It seems that bringing up Kaien Shiba is the key to temper this turbulent crowd. Uryuu watches with unadulterated shock as those gathered slowly deflate, shoulders drooping and heads hanging in defeat or shame. He sees Kaname close his eyes, as if trying to reign in whatever small dram of anger he let slip, even though it pales in comparison to just about anyone’s Uryuu’s ever met.

Kukaku holds a grim line to her lips but Ganju, on the other hand, smirks proudly at his cousin.

Tired of this game of back and forth, Isshin clasps his hands over the table and leans forward, face somber and gaze smoldering.

“Do we have a resolution?”

His voice resonates inside the room and Uryuu holds his breath until someone speaks out.

It is the plum woman who throws the final word, a ‘yes’ coupled with a nod and then they return to their teas and drinks. It does not take long for the tense atmosphere to dissipate, like it never was there to begin with. There is still some unspoken string pulled taut, but the rapport between the Shiba clan members has hardly changed.

Orihime walks up to him and Chad with a wide smile on her face, but the first thing she does is nothing that the Quincy expected. The young woman always launches into a long one-sided chat in order to vent her feelings, but today she only grips Uryuu’s hand and turns to watch the party – still in full swing. Chad pats Uryuu hard on the back before he disappears to the back when Kukaku barks for more alcohol.

Uryuu, for once, is speechless. He’s been assaulted from two sides by two things polarly opposite in nature. The Quincy is over the moon, though he worries that his hand is sweaty and not enjoyable to hold. So, to divert his attention, he looks to the Shiba clan and finds a divided family that clings to the last remains of their old title and familial bonds, if only to not break into a million little pieces.

They are hardly the perfect picture, but they do surely act like it. Not to mention that no one would acknowledge the fact of the matter, not even Isshin. Which brings Uryuu back to his first thoughts on this meeting, and the fact that he is damn glad not to have to deal with this kind of rapport with his relatives. It might look nice, but the earlier discussion brought to light enough problems to convince him otherwise.

And yet, the Shibas now have the same common aim and the same common enemy. The clan will help them for now, but Uryuu hopes that the cost won’t be too high.

Whatever the case, Uryuu’s never seen a bigger mess.

It’s just right that this is Kurosaki’s extended family.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

**_Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:_ ** _"_ _How do I feel, you ask? Do I look like I am in poor spirits? Division Zero reigns supreme over all other Shinigami, and even you, their leader, fear my power so greatly that you saw fit to strip me of half of it. Could anything be more satisfying?"_

* * *

Nothing in the great throne room changed from the last time she was there. There is that same nothingness that makes the space a thousand times bigger and colder, the same dreary draperies are hanging lowly and almost obscuring the massive crystal from view.

Rukia steps forward slowly, once Reihachi leaves her alone. She tries to keep her eyes on him, but it is so heart-wrenchingly difficult to be so close and yet at least four worlds away from him. It must be ridiculous – it rightfully _should_ be – but there is nothing ridiculous about looking at the man you love and seeing nothing but a corpse. A frozen body, with nothing left to distinguish him from an object anymore.

His eyes are dead and a dull brown that fades into a sickish golden hue and Rukia clenches her jaw as her insides burn with anger and grief. She approaches slowly, as if Ichigo could get scared and run away, but most certainly, she does it for her own peace of mind, insides twisting and turning.

She is anxious to be so close to him after such a long while. There was a period when she avoided coming here like the plague, and then slowly eased into it when Ichigo’s family and friends gathered the courage to visit. Rukia wouldn’t put it past the Soul Society to plant a few booby traps in here, so she carefully treads over the marble floor.

It is, after all, the storage place for their most prized trophy.

Nothing happens though, against her deepest hopes that she would have had a good reason to burst into Kyoraku’s house and proclaim unfair treatment on the King, or something equally ridiculous.

If Ichigo could see her right now, he’d point his finger and laugh.

A small chuckle escapes past her lips at the thought and she shakes her head.

_Unfair treatment_ , that is a new one.

The unfair treatment has been here since the beginning of time – it is too late to change the olden ways and the people so stuck on following them. But they might, at least, change one more destiny for the better. One or maybe three, depending on how the upper echelons will receive the news that Rukia and the others liberated the Soul King.

She can’t imagine how Ichigo will react, when things finally make sense. After they explain to him why he’s been frozen in time for almost an entire year. Would he want revenge? Would he forgive the Soul Society?

Kyoraku would surely try to sugarcoat things, but Rukia will not let him get away without the truth splayed wide open. It is, after all, the least that she can do for the one person who never hid anything from her.

_He did try, but Rukia can read him better than any book. Sometimes it was ridiculous and even she was taken aback by her supposedly amazing observational skills at one point._

It remains to be seen, but she knows that the aftermath will not be a walk in the park either. If worse comes to worst, they will have to make a break for it and escape from the Soul Society, though she doubts that there will be many who will try to stop them. Only a select few, and even those will hesitate, which is better than they can hope for. They don’t know what condition Ichigo will be in after they get him out of that crystal, after all.

A sudden shift in temperature shakes her away from her deep thoughts. Rukia realizes that she walked closer and closer to Ichigo without realizing it. The chill she just felt was caused by her stepping into the inner circle and the closest barrier layer to the Soul King. 

The area near the crystal is almost freezing and, in spite of handling an ice-type Zanpakuto, Rukia still shivers at the touch of cold.

Tentatively, she reaches out an arm.

The prison is suspended, just like it was the last time she saw it, holding the previous Soul King.

Hanging above the ground, it towers over her easily and her height does not help matters at all. It’s useless to try, but she still expects to touch skin and bone. Instead, her hand connects with the smooth surface of the crystal. She feels nothing from it.

Nothing.

Ichigo’s hand is on the other side of the wall, unreachable, unmovable.

Four worlds away.

It’s useless to even try and catch a glimpse of his face, not from this angle.

Maybe it’s better this way.

Rukia grips at the polished surface, but her fingers find no ledge to hang on to.

Ichigo regards the world – imperious, objective, detached.

Like a true King.

Tears spill onto her cheeks, thick, flowing freely and messily. They glue strands of her hair to her face and they taste like salt and broken dreams.

They drip onto the polished floor, in the one and only room sitting at the center of the universe.

Rukia sobs her way through her second hour in the palace, silently promising herself that Ichigo will be out of there by the end of the year.

* * *

Being in charge of the Zero Division is actually less work than she’d have thought.

Within the Gotei 13 organization, Rukia has seen numerous examples of a captain’s duties in her Nii-sama, captain Ukitake himself or Nanao-san shouting them at captain Kyoraku when he was visiting and thus, ignoring these duties.

Then she became a lieutenant and got her first taste of the workload As much as she has been elated to become the second in command of the squad, Rukia all but balked at the insane amount of bureaucratic documentation that needed to be filled.

It was at that point that she understood the many reasons behind Matsumoto-san and Renji’s complaints, and she wondered then how the Gotei 13 was still standing when many of its upper echelons desperately avoided doing their paperwork.

The whole establishment then, she had concluded wryly, rested on the shoulders of Byakuya-nii-sama, captain Hitsugaya and probably lieutenant Choujirou Sasakibe and their hard work.

Looking at the small stacks now, Rukia wonders if this is yet another test or if Aizen knew something more than he let on when he decided to crack the royal realm open. It was a ridiculously small workload, even compared to that of a _third seat_ and that is practically saying that the Zero Division has jack shit to do.

Not that Rukia will complain since she has her own plans to guide to fruition.

“Captain.” Reihachi salutes as he materializes inside her large, empty office. Rukia hadn’t yet had the heart to start making it more homely, and it’s the same situation for her own living quarters as well.

She feels encased in a block of ice – and even that literal reality would be better than this hell. It is hard to make herself more comfortable here when she is fully aware that this arrangement has an expiration date that will come sooner rather than later.

Closing her eyes briefly, Rukia requests first and foremost.

“Your report, Reihachi.”

The man’s face is hidden, but after a week in the royal realm, she has learned that his face wouldn’t have held any helpful emotion, even if she could have seen it.

“Yes, ma’am. The reconstruction of the north-eastern sector is progressing very well. In another week, they expect to be ready and our experts concluded that in less than a month, ninety-eight percent of the palace will be finished.”

Rukia nods her head, pleased to see that things are progressing along so nicely. It is all thanks to the seamless cooperation between the royal guards and the civilians, whose numbers are, incredibly, in the _thousands_.

She never expected such a big number of people just for five Royal Guards and a thousand soldiers under them.

Plus one big chunk of crystal rock with the Soul King inside, but Rukia doesn’t think that he is high maintenance.

The scathing thought brings a pang into her heart that would not go away, the stubborn little shit.

_Damn that Ichigo._

She diverts her attention back to Reihachi, who has been suspiciously silent throughout her thought process.

“Is there anything else to add, Reihachi?”

The man can be incredibly unnerving at times, standing so still, it’s like he doesn’t even breathe. Rukia is half afraid that he can read her mind, but that would have brought the plan to a premature end the moment she stepped inside this dimension. 

“Yes.” He leaves the unexplained answer to hang in the air while he produces a pink manila folder stamped with the Squad 1 insignia. “The captain commander has sent you this document. It is about the Divine Ritual for the Soul King.”

The name makes her stomach churn and twist in displeasure, but outwardly, Rukia takes the ridiculously colorful folder and dismisses Reihachi with a wave of her hand.

Once she’s sure that he left, she drops the blasted thing on her table with distaste, glaring at it as if she could set it on fire. Rukia is half tempted to do so, make up some excuse to Kyoraku that there was an accident, but that would just prompt the man to send her another packet of documents and demand her prompt answer.

So she just won’t respond yet, Rukia decides. Picking up her haori from the back of her office chair, she strides out of the door and under the sprawling arches of the deepest corridors of the palace.

From there on, it is a matter of navigating through the various twists and turns until she is able to descend to the level below, onto the Vestibule-Road. After she touches down somewhere between two nondescript buildings still in the process of reconstruction. Her feet lead her further into the neighborhood and soon, she finds the grand marble staircase sheltered between two large pillars of crystal-clear stone.

The staircase divides into four distinct reishi paths and Rukia takes the furthest one to the right.

Her destination is a modest two-story house in the heart of the city that formerly belonged to Ichibe Hyousube. The air may be hard to breathe here, but it is maybe the most beautiful of the five cities anyway. And the civilian population has adapted incredibly well to the powerful spiritual pressure dominating the area.

Rukia is welcomed into the low building by two little girls who look no older than twelve. They hold wide smiles and their eyes shine as they study her captain’s coat and the hilt of her sword that is peeking out of the haori.

An old woman with hair pulled into a tight braid exits the room on the left and shoos the girls away while greeting Rukia at the same time. She guides her deeper inside the house and out on the other side, onto a terrace in a green, _green_ garden.

There is more vegetation here than any feasible place to sit and talk, but the masters of this house still insisted on using this oasis, so Rukia has to navigate the greenery until the old woman pats the back of a metal and wood chair that she can use.

The round wooden table in front of it is filled to the brim with papers and pencils but their owner is absent, though Rukia does not doubt that the older woman will be back with him in a moment.

She lets her eyes wander around the space, noting the various types of plants swaying in the gentle breeze. Here, such life is mostly manufactured, but it is still very different from the immaculate gardens of the Kuchiki household. Like a breath of fresh air, whereas the Kuchiki clan’s gardens were treated more like art installations than usable resting places.

“My apologies, Kuchiki-taichou.”

Onras is the owner of the house, as well as the chief of operations in the newest estate development project for the royal realm. He supervises the construction work done by the civilian workers and directs everything where it needs to go. The four-hundred years old man is also in charge of designing the buildings whose previous records have been lost, thus making it impossible to follow the former schemes.

“I did not know that you would pay us a visit today.”

He is also considerably formal, but Rukia can barely fault him. She understands the feeling very well – knowing one’s place is the sanest thing to hold onto in any world you live in.

Rukia adopts a small, unassuming smile.

“I had a few moments of free time, so I decided to come by and see how things are progressing.”

The two little girls make their appearance again, carrying trays of cookies while the older woman serves them with green tea.

Onras latches his fingers over the sketches of his latest project. His eyes bore into hers and Rukia holds steady, waiting for his report.

“Things are going better than I expected. But there’s still going to be some time until we manage to finish everything in the Vestibule Road.”

“What about the north-eastern sector?”

Onras blinks then frowns.

“Going well.” And Rukia does not believe that for a second. It must show on her face because the man clears his throat. “What do you want me to tell you, ma’am? That the royal officers are pushing us to finish the work faster, but we physically cannot? I think they are forgetting that we are still simple human souls.”

Rukia purses her lips and her hands tighten around her cup.

“That is what I was afraid of. Reihachi told me that in another month, everything will be ready there.”

It is unusual to see a sturdy, self-assured man such as Onras choke on his own drink, but there is a first for everything. Rukia tries not to let her amusement show, though inwardly she is seething. Such a thing should hardly happen, but at least she is prepared this time around.

The incident that really opened her eyes to the fact that a real discrepancy exists between the civilians and the officers in the royal palace has left a bitter taste inside her mouth. One man died because Rukia was too stupid to notice the problem – not until it was too late. Of course, the royal officers pledged no fault, and they were obviously condoned, even if their fault was clear.

Since then, Rukia learned to keep a close eye on things, especially with the large-scale project of rebuilding that is undergoing right now. This led her to meet Onras and she is very pleased with their collaboration. At the very least, the man is extremely honest and to the point, which is another thing that Rukia appreciates from him.

She will be damned if she lets the same thing happen again under her watch.

While her thoughts run rampant, Onras finally manages to take ahold of his lungs.

“That is impossible, to say the least. The north-eastern area was one of the most damaged. There is no feasible way to finish it in one month!”

“I know.” Rukia smiles bitterly and plucks a pastry from one of the plates. “Don’t worry, I will make sure to give them a good lashing.”

“Hopefully not one too bad.” One corner of Onras mouth twitches before his eyes fall to the papers in front of him and sighs. “Whatever the case, captain Kuchiki, things are progressing along nicely under your tenure. And while I am not on par with their exceeding highnesses of the royal officer guard,”

Rukia scoffs because otherwise, she’d laugh.

“I _do_ estimate that in two or three months some ninety-five percent of the palace should be back in working order.”

The percentage is amazing, and Rukia can only offer Onras a nod out of respect for the hard work he and his men are putting in rebuilding the royal palace.

Her eyes fall then, but the sorry expression on her face she glimpses on the surface of her drink makes her look up again. Onras is watching her expectantly and maybe a little confused.

“I wish to request a side-project from you.”

Onras’ shoulders droop and it looks like he deflates on the spot.

“I was afraid you’d say that, captain.” He says wryly, but Rukia shakes her head.

“It is nothing big and I am not expecting you to agree, nor have it ready in two seconds.”

“I would if I could.”

“The King’s room,” Rukia swallows and all traces of good humor disappear from Onras’ face, “there – it is disarray. I want it restructured and redecorated.”

Only after she said her piece does she gather the strength to look into his eyes.

She isn’t sure what Onras knows or what he heard. There are a couple of rumors, some ridiculous and some outright scandalous, about her and the newest Soul King. Rukia never said anything on the matter, but she is sure that the royal officers gossip, just like their soul reaper counterparts do. Since her arrival, and even before, this must be a constant hot topic discussed through the ranks.

Everyone has their own opinion, most of which are vastly different from the truth. But the crux of the problem is that, whether right or far away from the truth, there is no hiding that the new captain of the Zero Division has some kind of connection to the Soul King. Rukia never denied it either, which only seems to encourage the rumor mill to work harder. 

There is no way that Onras and the other civilians are still ignorant of it. Rukia can see it in his eyes, the way he walks the thin line between pity and curiosity and how he struggles to keep a straight face.

Rukia’s lips twist upward bitterly.

“There is no reason for me to deny that I care about the Soul King.”

Onras jerks and his eyes are wide, as if he doesn’t quite believe that the elusive new captain is offering him such personal information. But Rukia has been away from home for two weeks and it’s been longer than that since she could actually talk about herself or her feelings with someone else.

Usually, Renji skirts the subject like a man on a mission, Uryuu would grimace at once, it would be one of the rare times when Chad would look uncomfortable with someone and Orihime is unapproachable from multiple points of view when it comes to Kurosaki Ichigo. She doubts that Nii-sama would like to have a conversation about her feelings either, though Rukia suspects that he might struggle through it for her sake.

“No, it is not the Soul King I care about. It is Kurosaki Ichigo, substitute Soul Reaper and full-time fool.”

Onras studies her face for longer than necessary after she stops speaking and Rukia suspects that he is trying to figure something out, but she cannot put her finger on what that is.

“Was-Is that His highness’ name?”

Rukia’s face pulls into a sour grimace. She hates that title as much as he hates seeing Ichigo encased in that block of stone.

“Yes. Would you believe that he is only eighteen human years old?”

Onras’ eyebrows draw up on his forehead in surprise.

“That is certainly news for me. His highness is extremely young. He must have gone to the soul reaper academy very early then.”

Rukia chuckles into her palm before leaning back into her seat. She regards Onras with a contemplative look for a moment before she speaks again, voice different, full of warmth and memories.

“No at all! He never went to the academy in the first place.”

Somehow or the other, she ends up speaking about Kurosaki Ichigo’s blunders and feats for the rest of the afternoon. Onras listens closely and Rukia can see that he is indeed happy to hear more about the newest ruler of the Soul Society, and more than excited to hear what crazy thing Ichigo decided to do next and what dangerous moves he pulls when he fights.

“The King’s chambers will be fully renovated by next week.” Onras promises her as he grips her hand at the end of their long conversation.

Rukia’s brows furrow. “I did not share with you all those stories because I wanted to speed things along, Onras.”

If Onras was anyone else, he would be hastening with an explanation, but the man only smiles ruefully.

“And I did not promise such a thing based on a couple of – admittedly – interesting stories, captain. The King would be happy to have a new and nicer place of residence for sure. I know for a fact that the current one is in a deplorable state, mostly thanks to the royal officers.”

Rukia smiles and thanks him, but Onras insists on receiving no gratitude. She’d be lying if she’d say that she doesn’t leave the cheery house with a lighter heart, and the tears don’t fall until she closes the door to her quarters tightly behind her.

* * *

_Why don’t you go home, Kurosaki?_

That’s what Ishida said to him a few hours ago, when the sun was halfway behind the hills on the horizon.

The suggestion was incredibly thoughtful and probably well-meaning, but Ichigo just doesn’t have the energy to move or do anything more than breathe. He cannot do much more than think, and there is a plethora of subjects that currently war for his attention, so his feet guided him to one of the only places where he can sit and brood.

Orihime called Ishida because she was worried about him, Ichigo is sure. After his meeting last night with Rukia, he didn’t return home. There were just too many things weighing on him, and he feared that his bad mood and unstable behavior will bring an uncomfortable atmosphere to the household.

He went to the river instead and sat on a bench. That’s where Ishida found him almost eighteen hours later. The Quincy was at least nice enough to bring him something to eat and drink, though Ichigo barely feels anything but the weight of his discovery, still hanging on his shoulders.

He ate and drank the water bottle, for their sakes.

Ishida did express himself, quite vocally, that he could care less, but both of them know better. It is just how his friend reacts to uncomfortable situations. Ishida would follow him to hell and back, but he absolutely refuses to engage in any emotionally charged conversation. That’s just how he is.

Ichigo isn’t exactly a big sharer either, so they found their balance where Ishida makes sure Ichigo does not die and Ichigo thanks him for his effort and leaves him out of his sentimental mess.

Though this time around, he doesn’t know how he’d even start to explain whatever is going on through his head. There are just too many things passing at various speeds that even Ichigo struggles to make sense of and put in order.

His head hurts, but that must be the fatigue he accumulated in the last two days of staying up. Being a doctor himself, Ichigo does not need Ishida to recite to him the effects of absolutely no sleep, but it isn’t like he can close his eyes either.

Not without another nightmare, another memory, or another list with a million theories about that piece of reiatsu he found coming to the surface.

It is amazing how humans can find countless ways to sabotage themselves, seamlessly, effortlessly. But humans are, in essence, accumulations of reiatsu that form a soul, so the observation applies to soul reapers too.

So easily.

It should be harder, Ichigo muses, but not when it counts.

He sits up and grimaces when his knees creak. Another thing to add to the list of awful reasons to be human.

Stepping closer to the water, Ichigo wonders if he shouldn’t just go home. Orihime is sure to be worried enough to come to find him herself, and does he really want to put her in that position when there is Kazui to care for?

No, he doesn’t, so he resolves that in another half an hour he will go back, if only just to leave in the morning again.

Ichigo bows his head and looks at the flowing water of the river, slightly silver from the moon, a little golden from the lamps behind him. He tries to avoid looking at his tired face, but there is nothing else of interest on the surface besides this hollow-cheeked, twenty-seven-year-old man, who feels like his life is over even if it’s just supposed to start.

He cannot even meet his own eyes, that’s how fucked up it is.

Ichigo has at least two lifetimes to live and he has no will to live through them anymore.

_If Rukia would hear him, she’d-_

Ichigo stops himself right there and banishes the thought from his mind because he cannot deal with Rukia yet. Not so soon, maybe not in this century. He isn’t sure what exactly ruptured, but the large fissure that was there before, since before her wedding, has now expanded into a chasm that Ichigo’s lost the energy to try and cross.

There is a cold ghost swimming through his chest when he thinks about her, so he just doesn’t and tries to concentrate on other, more urgent matters.

_He needn’t have tried so hard though._

At first, Ichigo swears that it must be his tired eyes and brain that imagine it, but it comes back again and again. His reflection on the water flickers faster and faster until Ichigo is replaced by a face he never thought he’d see again.

_“Ha, as if you’d ever get rid of me, king!”_

Ichigo startles when his white counterpart in the water speaks. He has the same gravelly, scratchy voice that used to get on his nerves, but now it’s like a nostalgic buzz in the back of his head.

“Never thought I’d be happy to hear your stupid voice, Zangetsu.” Ichigo smiles ruefully, but his zanpakuto spirit is far from amused.

_“Let me ask you this king – are you a fucking moron by any chance?”_

He should be used to such things coming out of Zangetsu’s mouth, but ten years is a long time for a human. Ichigo’s eyebrows climb on his forehead and he stares dumbly at the spirit.

_“Don’t look at me like a damn idiot, you know what I’m talking about!”_

Zangetsu frowns when his master’s face takes on an even dumber expression.

_“You seriously don’t?”_

Ichigo shakes his head and the motion triggers some of his earlier fatigue to come back because his eyesight becomes blurry. He closes his eyes for a moment, willing the pounding inside his head to disappear.

_“Hey, hey! I wasn’t done talking to you-!”_

Zangetsu’s voice seems to come from very far away and when Ichigo looks back, the spirit has disappeared.

He glares intently at the water, but Zangetsu doesn’t materialize again. Ichigo’s heart pangs, but at least he knows that his zanpakuto is still inside of his inner world and kicking ass, if his words of greeting were of any indication. That is, if he hasn’t hallucinated him.

Maybe he can try to summon Zangetsu again tomorrow. That could work better if Ichigo gets some sleep tonight.

With this resolution in mind, he stands up slowly, minding that his body isn’t functioning that well at the moment. The way back home is long, but Ichigo occupies his mind with theories and possibilities. Before he knows it, he is home and Kazui squeals at him to try whatever strange recipe he and Orihime cooked up tonight.

If nothing else knocks him out, the five-layered onion chocolate cake will.

* * *

“Yes.”

Three generations of Shibas bow to him in unison.

“We are honored that you approve of the state of the records, Kuchiki-sama! The Shiba clan has made tremendous efforts in

order to preserve these priceless treasures.”

Byakuya only grunts in reply and his lieutenant has had it with him.

“At least say something more than that!”

Renji’s bark echoes through the spectacular underground room and makes Uryuu stop in the process of sorting through a mountain of scrolls and look up in the direction of the entrance.

As per Shiba custom, the archive is below the ground, hidden inside a building that is nestled on the side of a mountain in the Seventh District of Rukon. There are at least ten active guards, either soul reapers from the family or men trained in the Kido arts.

They arrived here very early in the morning, but Isshin has disappeared as soon as the plan of action was laid out. The Quincy does not know where the man is, but for his own good, he better not be lazing around.

The work is mindboggling and very boring indeed, especially since now they are only at the stage of searching for the right sources of information. Uryuu is in charge of the scrolls, Chad of the books and Orihime has to thumb through the countless file cabinets. Uryuu does not envy her at all.

Around lunch, Byakuya Kuchiki arrived with Renji in tow, which provoked quite the clamor through the Shiba’s ranks. The Shiba clansmen are falling over themselves to please the emotionless man, but their efforts seem wasted as far as Uryuu is concerned. Byakuya is hardly a man who will start praising anyone close to him, much less strangers lower in rank.

That is why Renji is so irritated right now, but it’s not like Byakuya will figure it out or do something about it, so Uryuu sighs to himself and turns back to the scrolls at hand. He wonders how much longer he will have to endure this until lunch rolls around and silently curses Kurosaki for giving them so much more work to do just to save his sorry ass.

“The state of these archives is appropriate and up to the Kuchiki’s clan standards.” Uryuu chokes on his own spit and looks up, wondering if he heard correctly. At Byakuya’s side, Renji’s mouth is wide open and the lieutenant is gaping at his superior. “I am very pleased to see that. How is the research going?”

This one he directs to the closest of the conspirators he can find, which turns out to be Uryuu.

The Quincy purses his lips but answers nonetheless.

“Slow, but we are doing our best to search through everything and cover every base.”

The captain nods stoically, but his gaze is critically observing every single detail, and consequently, _the_ _mess_ that the archives have become.

“Nonetheless, your numbers are too small to make a visible dent in this century.” Uryuu’s whole body twitches, but Byakuya has already turned towards Renji. “I will have you stay here and help them, Renji.”

The man’s first instinct is to protest, but then he stops when his mind finally catches up to the order.

“Alright, captain.” The lieutenant nods and walks towards Uryuu.

The Quincy wants to weep – both in joy and in frustration. Now he needs to figure out who is behind with their work and have them swallow their pride so Renji can find something to do.

“Ishida Uryuu,”

Uryuu looks up at Byakuya and rises to his feet since the expression sitting on the man’s face is much more serious than it was a minute ago. The soul reaper’s eyes are cold when Uryuu meets them, and he also senses that whatever Byakuya wants to say, he does not enjoy it one bit.

“About Aizen Sosuke,” Uryuu automatically reaches up to rub his temples; a corner of Byakuya’s mouth twitches, “when are you planning on bringing him here?”

Uryuu raises an eyebrow. They never even discussed the possibility of Aizen ever touching these books, much less coming back to the Soul Society. But looking at it objectively, Byakuya figured it out much sooner than Uryuu.

It is a short while until they will have no choice but to falter and allow the madman to come here. His expertise and skills at perusing documents and pursuing information will make their jobs a hundred times easier. Not to mention that Aizen may be the only one who can really understand all that is written in these documents and figure them out.

With a heavy sigh, Uryuu crosses his arms and thinks.

They still have at least five days of work to sort through the documents. After that, they may take one more day to properly organize everything for easier access. That gives them six days less to save Kurosaki. He doesn’t know if Rukia received anything from the captain commander, but a message from her should come soon, considering that she’s been gone for three weeks already.

Uryuu looks up to Byakuya. “Any interesting letter yet?”

His stomach drops in dismay, but he expected the silent shake of the other man’s head.

“From my estimations,” and here Uryuu goes out on a limb because this whole thing is unpredictable anyway, “we could bring him here in about six days. I doubt that you’d agree to let us go back and forth with some books to the Gensei.”

Byakuya’s look spells enough warnings on that particular matter.

Uryuu shrugs, out of options. “Then we should prepare to bring him here in about seven days. Whether he sleeps here or comes and goes, it is all up to the Shiba clan and to you.”

Byakuya nods amiably, both in acknowledgment and in thanks before he turns around to face another volley of old Shiba admirers. Uryuu turns too, but instead of the consistent hill of scrolls that he’s left behind, he only finds about a third of it left. Renji’s bright red hair is visible above the pile, the one and only culprit.

Like a visceral reaction, Uryuu’s hackles rise.

“What do you think you’re _doing_?!”

Renji looks up, clueless. “I’m sortin’ through these.”

“Do you even know what goes where?”

_Amateurs_ , Uryuu wants to snort.

But then Renji points to two distinct piles. One is on the antique wooden table and the other is on the floor under it. “The good ones go below the table and the bad ones above so you can get them back much more easily.”

By the end of the sentence, Uryuu’s jaw is slack. His perfect system has been unraveled, and, worse than that, Renji has managed to go through so many more scrolls in a shorter amount of time than Uryuu has.

Which means, the Quincy huffs and makes a beeline for the bathroom on the floor above where no one can hear his screams, that _he was the slow one._

* * *

Rukia hates dawdling around, but this is a special case.

She shivers because the room is too cold.

The damned file sits innocently in front of her.

She averts her eyes, only because she is very tempted to shoot a Shakkahou and get it over it.

Her eyes land on Ichigo’s still form and her throat closes up. After almost one month, being in the same room does not summon much of a reaction out of her anymore. Sometimes, she thinks that she could cry, but the moment passes and only the same anger and indignation is left.

Ichigo is a silent companion nowadays, unlike ever before. He’s always been loud and obnoxious even when the moment called for stillness, but what bothers her more than the absence of sound is the absence of his _presence_. There is no trace of his reiatsu left, not here, not anywhere.

Rukia has been looking for it for so long that she’s almost forgotten what to look for.

The man in the crystal expels no kind of energy whatsoever. He melts into his newly furnished throne room, and Rukia must admit that Onras has outdone himself.

She partly wonders if he’d done it more for her sake than for Ichigo.

The main platform remains the same, holding up the prisoner and its jail, but instead of the garish purple curtains, there are only soft fabrics of browns, yellows and oranges, made out of whatever special materials there were left in Senjumaru Shutara’s headquarters. They drape around the room and mask the freshly painted white-grey walls.

Whatever holes and destruction there were have been mitigated and eliminated. Onras is not much for aesthetics, but his wife, Ayame, is a master at decorating a place so that anyone, no matter who it is, will feel right at home.

Rukia was clueless when she answered most of her questions, but the older woman was not deterred by her lack of knowledge and instead pursued the safest bet, which turned out better than Rukia could have ever dreamed.

The freezing floors have been covered by expansive rugs with different models and shapes. Despite looking like they were thrown there carelessly, Rukia knows that Ayame’s craft is far from a random stroke of genius.

Ichigo would have loved this room – it encompasses everything he is. She cannot grasp how Ayame accomplished such a thing when she never met him, but the throne room brings back a little bit of Ichigo’s room in Karakura, though on a much statelier level.

And Rukia, as a creature of habit and possibly because she likes to suffer, has sequestered herself in one ‘corner’ of the circular room, nestled between overly large and colorful pillows, head resting on a peach-colored curtain, sitting on a soft rug that reminds her of a forest in autumn. She steadfastly refuses to use any of the chairs and loveseats scattered around the large space, opting instead to stay cross-legged on the floor, now that there is no danger of freezing her butt off.

From her small nest, she only has to glance up and find Ichigo already in her field of view. She’s been doing this often in the last hour while she tries to discretely sweep Kyoraku’s file under the rug, though she has a feeling that it is not possible to postpone this anymore.

The Soul Society expects an answer and if she doesn’t give one, grave repercussions could follow. Not that Rukia would care, normally, but being stripped of her function so soon and after the stroke of luck that hit her to get appointed in the first place, it is simply not feasible to be fired. They need to get Ichigo out of here and she is one of the key pieces. Thus, she needs to do her job and do it _well_ , no matter how much it pains her.

With a small exhale in preparation, Rukia thumbs the folder open and reads through the first file again. She continues the process with all five documents before she grabs the pen at her feet and makes to sign.

Her hand won’t cooperate though. Posed to sign on the correct line, Rukia watches her hand shake with tension and a million other emotions that she does not have the mental capacity to analyze.

She grits her teeth, willing herself to dispose of this weakness already. Getting her act together is a must if she wants to at least try and be useful in this grand plan they are sneakily concocting against the Seiretei.

There is no way that Rukia will be the one to screw up, she just won’t. She will never be able to face Ichigo ever again, in whatever shape or form they meet.

With a mighty growl, Rukia makes a grand effort and applies her signature with a vengeance. The paper almost rips, and her scowl deepens, but the deed is done, and her scribble faces her innocently.

Rukia feels all but that. She has unequivocally sealed Ichigo’s fate, even if for a short while.

She will be damned if she leaves him to be stuck there for all eternity, but for the moment, Rukia discards her nefarious thoughts and turns to rearrange the papers in their proper position.

Then she takes out one blank folded slip of paper and starts writing her brother a message, including her current status and the exact date that Seiretei has decided for the ritual. At last, she shortly describes the numbers of able fighters inside the palace, just so her allies can get an idea what they are up against.

She does not sign the letter, but she does not need to. Her neat form aside, Rukia has two types of handwriting – one for official business and her own, where she likes to fool around with the letters. No one in the Soul Society has seen the latter one beside Nii-sama and Renji, so no matter where the letter ends up, no one can trace it back to her.

With a sigh, she stands up, throws Ichigo one last look and turns to exit the room. The folder burns through her hand all the way to the official message delivery system on the lowest level of the palace. She drops it off with Reihachi and the officer who is in charge of communication with the Soul Society.

Afterwards, she heads over to the Vestibule Road and takes two sets of stairs to get to the lowest level of the main city. The buildings here are as neat as they are on the surface, but the air is more rarefied, being so close to the membranes that protect and separate the royal realm from the rest of the Soul Society. Thus, there are not many people living here, but once upon a time, when the two dimensions were closer with one another, this was the main point of arrival through the Shiba cannon.

From what little Rukia understood when Kukaku explained it to her, this point is somewhere in the center of a circle with a hundred twenty kilometers radius that encompasses five Rukon Districts. The Shiba clan is allowed to move around, but only if they maintain this radius, otherwise they get out of range.

There are still many supplies left over from the Shiba’s glory years. Numerous crates are gathered under the tiled roof of one such warehouse. The woman who oversees the wellbeing of it greets Rukia warmly and respectfully, bowing her way inside the room and guiding the captain with various polite remarks towards the counter.

“I need to send a message to Shiba Kukaku immediately.” Rukia lifts her letter pointedly.

Upon hearing this, the woman’s eyes widen slightly, but she remains professional in the face of the surprising declaration. No one has really mentioned the Shiba name around here for almost a century.

“Understood, Kuchiki-taicho.” The woman glides along the floor until she stands next to one large crate. She takes out a spheric object, light blue and marked with a firebird. “This might be the best way to do it. Please activate it with your reiatsu but be careful not to pour too much spiritual pressure. Otherwise, you will be swallowed by the sphere as well.”

With a frown marring her brow, Rukia pumps a small quantity of spirit energy as instructed, hoping that she won’t have the embarrassing experience to screw up in front of a stranger. The sphere glows bright for a moment and the rough, glass-like material is suddenly malleable in her hands. Rukia panics for a short second before she instinctively pushes the letter into the ball.

It pops inside with a _plop_ that makes Rukia blink, but the woman at her side nods in approval and reaches out to relieve the captain of her message.

“There is an integrated dispatching system into this building, used mainly for smaller purposes. Such as packages and letters.” She lifts the ball pointedly. Rukia follows her to a cut in the wall, innocuous by all means. The woman places it on a circular ring drawn in the middle and brings her hands together, a string of red beads between them. “The system may be rusty, but I will do my utmost best to bring the message to its destination, Kuchiki-taicho.”

Rukia nods in lieu of agreement and steps back when the woman begins to chant an unknown kido spell. The words flow from her mouth without a hitch or pause and Rukia tries to follow the various phases of the spell, but at some point, they all blur together.

Sparks and light blue reiatsu dance around the woman’s form until she places her hands on both sides of the opening. A thin barrier of spiritual pressure closes the small chamber with the sphere and Rukia watches it catch fire and vanish at an unnervingly high speed.

She sends out a prayer, hoping that the sphere is strong enough and that her message will arrive safely. Rukia thanks the woman and departs from the lowest level of the Vestibule Road, walking at a sedate pace back towards the castle.

A shadow departs from behind a corner and starts following her. Rukia sniffs and raises her head higher.

“What it is, Hassen?”

The bad thing about being the captain of the Zero Division is actually being the _only_ captain. And since there are no royal guards anymore, Rukia is the main victim of the palace guards’ monitoring activities. As if spying on her because she’s still untrustworthy – which might be a grave injury at the address of the captain commander, but Rukia does not have the energy to pursue that line of conflict yet – is not bad, they don’t even do it subtly.

For example, Hassen.

“What are you doing in a place like this, Rukia-taichou?” The young man flips the material over his face to the side and makes a show of looking around in wonder.

Rukia keeps a straight face, not about to be outdone by a fresh-faced base officer.

“Sending a personal message to my brother.”

“Ah, Kuchiki Byakuya, yes? I heard of him when I was in the academy!” Hassen jogs to catch up with Rukia’s wide steps.

“I am not surprised that you did.” She answers calmly, eyes dancing from one side of the road to the other. “Is there any reason for your sudden visit?”

Hassen is silent for a moment in which Rukia wonders what sort of censure he is putting to his words. But then the kid’s posture relaxes, and he seems to beam from behind his mask.

“Reihachi sent me to find you! He wants to discuss with you about some boring stuff.”

Rukia laughs shortly.

“What boring stuff?”

“I dunno about that, captain. They don’t tell me anything…”

As she steps over the threshold of the palace doors, Rukia wonders if that’s really a bad thing at this point.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

_**Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:** "Such a wonderful dream. The nightmarish ones are always the most enjoyable."_

* * *

Eight days later, Byakuya Kuchiki pushes the double doors open with the vast authority he possesses and enters the antique Shiba archives, elegant and deadly.

Inside his captain’s coat, Rukia’s message sits like a bomb ready to explode. And that is not the worst thing to take place today.

While he was glad to hear from Rukia, and equally happy to hear that she is doing well and everything is going according to their plan, Byakuya is also disheartened by the date Kyoraku and the Central 46 chose for the ritual to take place. Now they have even less time, and they were already running against the clock.

Between Byakuya and Renji, they managed to discourage the upper echelons of the Soul Society from wondering too much about why there is such an increased level of activity around the Shiba clan lately, and why two humans and one Quincy are still here and not at home. They couldn’t exactly completely erase the sudden disquiet in the currents of reishi when they brought Aizen back, so they had to improvise.

And today, every participant in the plan has been summoned for an impromptu meeting. It coincided well with the arrival of Rukia’s message and Byakuya wonders if Aizen had something to do with this. But at the same time, the noble does not look forward to the predictable circus that this meeting will become shortly after commencing.

As if to prove him right, the universe throws said circus in Byakuya’s way as soon as he opens the doors to the main floor on the lowest level.

The Shiba siblings are standing front and center, but so is his lieutenant and, shockingly, Uryuu Ishida. Kuugo Ginjou and Tsukishima Shuukurou are daringly close to Sosuke Aizen and the man does not look too pleased, but Shihouin Yoruichi and Hirako Shinji are there to play buffer, in case either party dares to step over the line. Orihime Inoue and Yasutora Sado are on the other side of the crowded room, standing guard for two Arrancars – and here Byakuya reaches up to rub his temples – namely Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.

“What next?” Byakuya murmurs in an uncharacteristic moment of weakness.

“Kuchiki! You’re finally here!” Isshin Kurosaki pats Byakuya hard on the back and the captain’s hand falls to the hilt of his sword.

The inherent threat does not seem to bother the older man in the least. Isshin laughs and walks away, but before Byakuya can launch a few barbed remarks his way, someone sighs from the shadow of the nearest bookshelf and says.

“Give it up, there’s no way to reason with any of them.”

Hitsugaya Toshiro looks pained as he admits to this, eyes narrowed on each and every one of them.

Byakuya nods in silent agreement, inwardly glad not to be the only one exposed to such suffering. He joins Hitsugaya’s side for the moment, at the edge of the loud circle.

He casts a long look towards the boy and his efforts are noticed because the other captain turns a questioning look in his direction.

“What is it, captain Kuchiki?”

Byakuya clears his throat and juts his chin in Isshin’s direction.

“How long have you known?”

Toshiro heaves a long sigh.

“That my _stupid_ , _former_ captain was alive, actually had kids and one of them was _Kurosaki Ichigo_?” The expression on the boy’s face is indecipherable to Byakuya, along with the befuddling twist on his lips. “Just for a while. Matsumoto’s reaction was louder than mine, but I managed to get a few good hits in. Captain Shiba always knows how to take a beating when it counts.”

Byakuya’s lips twist upward and he nods, comforted with the fact that both Toshiro and Matsumoto managed to reconnect with their former captain.

The noise gradually dies down, no thanks to Isshin’s efforts.

Kukaku resorts to hitting him over the head before silence truly takes over. She crosses her arms and yells out anyway.

“Alright, listen up you bastards! We’re here for one thing and one thing only!”

“And that’s getting Ichigo’s ass out of the ice!” Ganju shouts along with her, pumped up for the mission. He receives a kick from his dear sister and Byakuya’s head pulses along with the sound of Ganju hitting the floor.

“What the fuck’s that got to do with us?” Grimmjow snarls from across the room.

“Or us?” Tsukishima asks, baffled if anything.

Byakuya truly does not know – nor does he care, in all honesty – but Renji and the rest of Kurosaki Ichigo’s friends look scandalized.

“You will see in a moment if you would allow me to speak.” Aizen takes the floor then and at least five sets of glares turn his way.

The madman rolls his eyes at this, too in his element to really care about the animosity. Not that he ever did.

“First things first,” Isshin turns to Byakuya then, and the expression on his face is surprisingly devoid of any silliness, “any news?”

The noble purses his lips and reaches for the letter inside his coat. “Yes. A message just arrived from Rukia.”

There is a sudden vortex inside the room, sucking all sound and air. Byakuya raises a discrete eyebrow, but he is not about to comment on it and start another world war. Instead, he unfolds the paper carefully, even though he does not need it. He has memorized the message already.

“Rukia’s infiltration was successful. She reports that she received a document regarding Kurosaki Ichigo’s status from the captain commander. The ritual is to take place in approximately twenty-eight days from today.”

Byakuya hears more swear words from this collective of people than he’d ever heard through the lower ranks of Shinigami in his division. Needlessly, he reaches out to cover Hitsugaya’s ears, much to the other captain’s irritation.

“I’m not a child-“

“Was there anything else?” The boy is cut off by his former captain. Isshin’s face is grave and the man seems much tenser than before.

Byakuya drops his hands as all sound dies down again.

“Currently, there is a force of five thousand abled men from all ranking categories. Civilians are not included, but Rukia is of the strong opinion that they will not join the fight along with the royal officers.”

“Those numbers are pretty small.” Someone comments from behind Byakuya.

The captain turns and cannot resist the quirk of an eyebrow when he sees Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa walking inside the room.

“You bastards are late as hell!” Kukaku scowls and Ikkaku scowls right back at her.

“Had stuff to do!”

“Actually, we got lost, because Ikkaku was sure that the meeting was being held at your house instead of the archives.” Yumichika betrays his friend without much remorse.

The lieutenant sputters and spits in protest.

“So ugly.” Yumichika rolls his eyes before he turns to the room at large. “I suggest you leave the fodder to us and our captain and concentrate on getting Kurosaki Ichigo out of the palace.”

As much as Byakuya is shocked, he will not stoop so low as to ask. Fortunately, Uryuu Ishida is the one who will.

“Kenpachi is joining us?”

“Of course he is!” Ikkaku shouts out and raises his sheathed sword with an excited smirk.

It falls on Yumichika, once again, to explain things in detail.

“Our captain is not aware of it yet, but we’re confident that he will agree to join us once we explain everything to him. For the moment, he should remain ignorant because as much as he is powerful, there is absolutely no chance that captain Zaraki can keep such a big secret.”

Isshin nods while a bead of sweat glides down the side of Uryuu’s face. Byakuya thanks the stars for this small miracle, at least.

“I’m getting bored, so you better get to the fucking point already!” Grimmjow’s threatening whisper comes from the other side of the room. Nelliel throws him a reproaching look, but she is ignored.

Byakuya receives a nod in thanks from Isshin before the man turns towards Aizen, giving the fallen soul reaper a wordless signal to proceed.

With a dignified sniff, Aizen clasps his hands over the table. He is partially concealed by the large books and open scroll draped over its surface.

“Time is of the essence, it seems. We will have no chance to read everything we selected and still make it in time to save Kurosaki Ichigo. But I do commend the Shiba and Kuchiki clans for storing such powerful texts.” The man’s eyes glint while Byakuya’s narrow. As if sensing his glare, Aizen promptly continues. “There is one thing I learned from the books I perused – reality is completely different from what theories we’ve thought up and this is a risky mission on all sides. I will start with why you are here, Grimmjow, Nelliel,” the man regards the two fullbringers with a blank look, “and these two, whom I’ve never seen before in my life.”

“That’s Ginjo-sama and Tsukishima for you!” Ginjo slams his fist on the table with a scowl.

Tsukishima shakes his head incredulously.

Aizen’s lips twitch with amusement. “You are here simply because you are useful.” The man says simply, a rude awakening that brings the worst out of Grimmjow and Ginjo. Even Nelliel seems dissatisfied with that answer.

“What he actually wants to say,” Yoruichi says, pointedly loud, “is that your strength is needed if we are to succeed.”

This seems to mollify both parties somewhat and Hirako shows that unnerving grin of his.

“Nice going.” He praises quietly before he speaks out loud. “We figured that we needed a few more hands and there’s also the fact that we are planning to bring Ichigo to Hueco Mundo after we get his ass out of the palace.”

Both Arrancar stop short and look at Shinji in shock.

“Are you fucking crazy?”

“Are you sure,” Nelliel says hesitantly, “that this is the best option?”

“The Soul Society and the World of the Living are out of the question.” Isshin is the one to answer her question. “They can trace us wherever we go, but that is harder to do in Hueco Mundo.”

“No to mention that Hueco Mundo is very rich in reishi, which makes it extremely suited to aid in Kurosaki Ichigo’s recuperation after he is unsealed.” Aizen graciously brings the conversation back to himself. “You two will make sure that he gets there after the fact.”

Grimmjow looks ready to protest again, but Nelliel nods resolutely and the man deflates a little, though he continues to look irritated by the role he was unknowingly attributed.

“But before that, there are a thousand other things to be discussed. Also,” Aizen picks up a random book and from the way his lips press tightly, Byakuya gets the feeling that some unpleasant information is coming, “first and foremost, you have to be aware of the current circumstances surrounding Kurosaki Ichigo.”

“What circumstances?” Renji bursts out, confused, and Byakuya will let him off the hook this time around because he is equally as curious.

“He is stuck in that crystal in the Soul King’s palace and the Seireitei is trying to make him the permanent puppet.” Shinji summarizes the mess in one measly sentence, delivered without much emotion behind it. “Anything else?” He asks sarcastically.

“Yes.” Aizen answers honestly, which brings out more confused expressions than solves the problem. “It is something that I read this very morning, actually. This book,” he taps said object, “describes what is going on behind the scenes. More accurately – what is going on right now in Kurosaki Ichigo’s _head_.”

Ikkaku scratches his head. “Wha-“

“We all assumed that he is sleeping or is just frozen from all points of view, but apparently that is not the case at all.”

And if Byakuya is filled with alarm, he makes an effort to not show it. Further inside the room, many are not as successful as he is.

Aizen leans back in his seat with a small sigh.

“Right now, there is a war raging for Kurosaki Ichigo’s consciousness. The crystal that surrounds him – it is a primordial material whose only purpose is to imprison the Soul King. It has many unknown proprieties, but what is _known_ about it, is that it induces heavy hallucinations while it slowly sucks out all of the host’s energy.”

When people continue to look on dumbly, Aizen reiterates.

“Put simply, Kurosaki Ichigo is currently living another life inside his own mind. It is a hallucination induced by his prison and it can continue on for all eternity. The Soul King can only truly be imprisoned when he is totally submissive, heart, body and soul. So now we arrive at the most important part.”

Aizen steadily meets Isshin’s wide eyes.

“The success of our plan depends on whether your son is able to break out of that illusion or not. If he lets himself go and accepts that hallucination for his reality, he will be lost and there is nothing we will be able do about it. That is the first thing that you need to accept, Kurosaki Isshin and company. It is all up to Kurosaki Ichigo and his ability to realize that whatever he sees, it is not the reality that he left behind.”

“And what does that mean?” Isshin asks gruffly and takes a few steps forward. “What do you propose we do, Aizen? Wait?”

Aizen is hardly phased by the way the other man bares his teeth at him.

“No, I suggest that we go forward with our plan. Kuchiki Rukia is already in position and making the final preparations. Until time zero, when we are supposed to take him out of the ice, we can go forward unperturbed.”

“From what you say, time zero will be the crucial moment.” Hitsugaya comments and crosses his arms over his chest. “What exactly is the strategy for that, Aizen?”

“I’m confused,” Hirako admits without an ounce of shame. He looks around slowly, “can we go back to the beginning?”

“I think that would be best.” Byakuya agrees, seeing Renji and Yasutora Sado donning lost expressions.

Similarly, Ganju is scratching the back of his neck, obviously out of his depth. And while they already lost Ikkaku’s attention a long time ago, Yumichika at least makes the effort to try and piece it all together.

“I suppose that connecting the dots is harder for some of you.”

Aizen’s quip brings forth many of the present company to snarl in his direction, but that only further proves his point. Byakuya shakes his head at the way they are all so easily goaded on by the madman.

“Alright, plan time!” Hirako claps his hands, bringing the room to another standstill. “Step one – we gather our forces. Done! Step two – we find out how to get Ichigo out of the ice. Slightly harder to accomplish, but we’ve got some twenty-seven days to do that.”

“Step three – and the simplest one – I send you idiots to the palace in time for the ritual.” Kukaku continues with a smirk.

“Step four – we sneak inside, which I highly doubt will happen, and get into positions while they prepare to start the ritual.” Yoruichi raises a finger to underline her words.

“Kuchiki should already be there and ready, so at her signal, we attack.” Hitsugaya nods.

“Step five – we get Ichigo out of the ice and to Hueco Mundo.” Yumichika flicks his hair, pleased. “And that’s the end of the story.”

There is a stretched out pause during which everyone tries to absorb the highly sketchy plan. Finally, Uryuu sighs and pushes his glasses up on his nose.

“There are several problems with this plan.”

“Indeed.” Aizen agrees heavily. “You go first, Ishida Uyruu.”

Uryuu raises an eyebrow but takes the invitation nonetheless.

“First of all, there won’t be any _sneaking_ inside the Soul King’s palace. Don’t forget that we’ve got Grimmjow, Ginjo and Zaraki Kenpachi here. Maximum destruction will follow us wherever we go. Therefore, once we enter the palace, we should be prepared to make a ruckus and go along with it.”

As expected, Grimmjow scoffs and smirks.

Ginjo clicks his tongue. “Did you have to drop my name like that?”

Light from the artificial bulbs reflects into Uryuu’s glasses and it makes them shine dangerously for a short moment.

“Was I wrong?”

Before Ginjo can answer, Aizen intervenes.

“I agree with you, Ishida Uryuu. There is absolutely no chance for a sneak attack, but we also can use the distraction that these people will create in order to make our passage through the palace easier.”

Uryuu nods carefully.

“There is also the problem of the ritual.” Byakuya decides to offer his input since this point hasn’t been made yet. “Until we know how to take Kurosaki Ichigo out of the crystal, it is a moot point to plan for a combined attack on the priests who will participate in the trial.”

“That’s true.” Isshin exhales tiredly and rubs at his temples.

“Getting Ichigo out of the crystal might be the easy part, but I think that getting out of the palace is going to be a pain in the ass.” Hirako grins sardonically and Yasutora nods with a grunt.

Aizen eyes the current captain of the fifth division appraisingly.

“Lastly, Kukaku Shiba should confirm that she will be able to transport all of us to the palace.” The former criminal returns the woman’s glower with a blank look of his own.

Kukaku opens her mouth, obviously about to bite off his head but Yoruichi shaking her head stops her.

“Think about it, do some calculations. Be one hundred percent sure. There are no mistakes allowed this time around.” The former captain suggests and Kukaku deflates, conceding the point.

“So basically, you bastards got nothing.” Grimmjow deadpans, looking around incredulously.

Nelliel looks dubious, caught between trying to defend them and agreeing with the other Arrancar.

The small smile over Orihime’s lips trembles, but she seems more flustered about the nonexistence of their plan than sad. Uryuu, on the other hand, is frustrated and at the end of his patience. The Quincy starts to pace along one of the bookshelves, ignoring the heavy gaze Chad settles on him.

Hitsugaya touches his forehead briefly, obviously tired. Byakuya tries to ignore the overwhelming task looming ahead of them, thinking of the best way to cut the large amount of work into smaller pieces that can be completed much more easily. They need to take advantage of every second they can, because before long, time is going to be up.

Renji scowls at Grimmjow and grinds out through gritted teeth. “Of course we do! Weren’t you listening?!”

“Oh yeah? Tell me one thing you have for sure, redhead!”

“Well we know that Ichigo’s ass is going to Hueco Mundo at the end!” The lieutenant smirks and points at the speechless Arrancar. “So there you have it!”

“Are you fucking-“

“I suggest we start stripping this plan down into steps that we can achieve.” Nelliel speaks out for the first time. Her soft voice seems to echo around the walls of the room, commanding the attention of every scatter-brained soul reaper or konpaku.

“Agreed.” Byakuya replies immediately, making Nelliel offer a grateful smile. “We should divide them according to each of our abilities.”

There is an unnatural light behind Aizen’s eyes – calculating and wise, yet able to cut to the bone. Byakuya is instantly wary of it, but the moment passes, and the captain lets it go, chanting inside his mind that he is doing this for Rukia, first and foremost.

He never wants to see her in the same state she was when the war ended. With that kind of despair hanging over her head and the spiraling depression shadowing her every move. Kurosaki Ichigo may have a plethora of flaws, but Byakuya is ready to forgive all of them as long as that boy can make Rukia smile again.

* * *

He tries to summon Zangetsu again.

Ichigo struggles to do that for two months.

 _Two whole damn months_.

But the sword doesn’t appear again.

He must be losing his mind, there is no other explanation for it.

Ichigo feels that he should be more worried about it, but instead, only cold anger flows through his veins, bringing the world around him to a secondary buzz in the background. His ears ring more often than not with shouts of the battlefield. His hands clench randomly, so hard that he breaks whatever he holds.

Everyone looks at him with pity and Ichigo grits his teeth so hard they crack.

Orihime tries to help, but she can’t do much since Ichigo won’t say anything on the matter. Even her powers of rejection are obsolete when she does not know what to reject.

Ishida tries to beat it out of him, but he only ends up getting more frustrated. Chad stops him before the situation can devolve, but everything has already gone to shit in Ichigo’s mind.

There is no need to push for it anymore.

His thoughts crumble, just after they are born. Ichigo sees his mind like Hueco Mundo’s desert – empty and dry, hanging onto every strip of life but able to harbor none.

He thinks that he hears Zangetsu howl on some nights when he’s dangling between sleep and wakefulness, but he figures that it must be his imagination. The only thing Ichigo thinks he has anymore.

Life goes on, slowly and surely.

His job is enough to keep him occupied and less into suicidal stunts. A fact that Orihime greatly likes, Ichigo knows. But even healing people has its limits when it comes to distraction and, before long, Ichigo starts inwardly debating about that reiatsu again.

Everyone told him to let it go, but in spite of that, something inside of him just insists that it is _important_. So, he debates and broods and thinks about it for so long that days break into nights and dawn breaks into twilight.

Ichigo gets one last warning from Ishida, which he promptly chooses to ignore, thank you very much. What will the Quincy do? Not much, considering that he cannot do very much about it.

_What will the Quincy do?_

Ichigo frowns and his thought process stutters to a halt. The man tilts his head and absently places his cup of coffee back on the table in front of him.

Well, what will Ishida do, huh?

His mind feels sluggish as it tries to work for what, Ichigo thinks, has to be an _obvious_ answer.

He would-

Well, he would surely-

Definitely, obviously, a must-

His fist drops on the surface of the office desk, causing a mountain of paperwork to spill onto the floor.

Ichigo’s eyes are fixed on the brown liquid sloshing inside the orange cup in front of him. Every muscle in his body is frozen in horror.

He tries again and again, but for the life of him he does not know – _cannot guess_ – what Ishida _will do._

_Get a grip on it, Kurosaki!_

Ichigo exhales and inhales, trying to dismiss the sudden spike of adrenaline and the terrifying nothingness snarling like a beast at the back of his head.

“What will Ishida do?” Ichigo murmurs out loud, hoping that maybe the sound of his own voice will break him out of whatever funk he is in. “Think about it this way,” he leans back in his seat and turns to look out of the window. Outside, this part of Karakura is silent and lifeless at this time of the evening, “what does Ishida _usually_ do?”

Thankfully, the answer comes easily to him this time.

Ishida is a doctor at Karakura Hospital, which he inherited from his father.

Ichigo frowns.

“I thought Ishida hated his dad, how come he decided to work for him?”

Another question without an answer, just another twitch in his brain, like his mind tries to access the answer but something blocks it. Ichigo clears his throat, looking for a loophole.

“Let’s see then.” Ichigo wonders what else is interesting about Ishida Uryuu, Quincy. The word blinks at the back of his head. “Ishida is a Quincy.”

That, he knows for a fact.

“He uses his powers in the form of a bow.”

Another good fact, he is on a roll.

“When was the last time I saw him use his powers?”

His mind stumbles to a stop again and Ichigo swears through his teeth. He slaps his forehead, thinking that some physical action might jumpstart his brain again. But he slowly figures it out, as if the answer slowly reveals itself from behind a dense fog.

“In the war.” Ichigo’s voice wavers, unconvinced that it is true. “The last time he used them was in the war.”

Surely that is true.

But Hollows are still around, even after the mess with Yhwach and the Sternritters.

Shouldn’t Ishida have used them to dispose of whatever Hollows get in the way sometimes?

Or does he leave that job to the soul reapers now?

Once again, Ichigo does not remember, nor is aware of any such a conclusion having been reached. Maybe it was reached without him there.

But where was he?

The aftermath of the war is such a big blur that he almost gives up looking for the answer.

Ichigo has the feeling that he was somewhere between the Soul Society and the Gensei, but what exactly was he _doing_?

His brain pulses and a frustrated growl is ripped from Ichigo’s throat.

With much more force than necessary, he stands up and walks towards the exit.

Maybe some fresh air will help where stillness and silence won’t. And if need be, Ichigo will bust down Ishida’s door and ask him directly.

There must be some answers for his questions somewhere out there. And he will find them and put an end to this rather sudden turn of situation inside his own mind. Because, at the end of the day, Ichigo knows that he cannot be going insane. He refuses to believe this, and he will go so far as to ply Zangetsu to the forefront of his mind no matter what it takes.

And then he can ask directly what he meant with those crazy questions, and he can ask his friends whatever else he thinks he needs to know and then everything will be alright.

Yes.

_Surely that is true._

* * *

His mind wanders aimlessly, but his legs bring him forward, steady and sure. Ichigo has no idea where he’s going until he ends up there.

He takes a long moment to take in the deserted bank of the river and chuckles despondently. Figures that this is where he ends up going, like the sore loser that he is.

Sitting down heavily on the grass, Ichigo closes his eyes and inhales deeply. The scent of the grass brings back enough memories to make him forget that he might be losing his mind. Tilting his head upwards, he studies the starry sky in contemplative silence, wondering not for the first time, how he should proceed from here on out.

He tries to be as candid as possible with himself, but even this is a complicated task when he’s this much of a mess. Ichigo inhales again and stretches his senses to the maximum, hoping that he can at least indulge in the overwhelming feeling of _everything_ against the hollowness inside of him for just a few moments.

It is during those few minutes that he senses the abrupt shift of the reishi current and the ripples that appear as a consequence. His eyes snap open and he blinks back at the penetrating darkness surrounding him, but he brushes it off and stands up on slightly wobbly feet.

That was a Senkaimon opening that he felt.

Why would a Senkaimon open and in Karakura of all places? There are enough Shinigami stationed here to make up a whole squadron. Ever since the winter war, Karakura has become an even bigger hotspot for supernatural phenomena and thus, the Soul Society had to work double-time in order to prevent another disaster in this area.

Ichigo quickly walks down the boulevard, ducks onto a smaller street, and cuts the length of the journey down by using alleyways and trespassing when he considers it safe enough.

He gets to Urahara’s shop in a record time of fifteen minutes and hopes that he’s not too late to greet the visitors. At this proximity, the spiritual pressure is very familiar and so large that it can only belong to a captain.

With a small knock, Ichigo pushes the door open and comes face to face with Hitsugaya Toshiro.

The boy blinks in surprise before a scowl climbs on his face.

“Kurosaki,” the gruff greeting amuses Ichigo most of all. The boy’s become awkward around him ever since he and Karin-

Wait, _he and Karin_?

Karin, as in his little sister?

Ichigo’s brain says _yes_ , but Ichigo’s heart takes this information with a healthy dose of shock, yelling that _he didn’t know about this_.

 _But_ , Ichigo’s brain insists, _he was just about to explain the situation._

Ichigo feels caught in the middle of a bad cartoon, where two voices of equal and opposite force collide, and it feels like being ripped right down the middle. His head pulses, his stomach roils and nothing makes sense anymore.

Did he even know about Karin and Toshiro?

Something tells him yes, but for the life of him, Ichigo has no idea when, where or _how_ it happened. He cannot conjure the memory of finding out no matter how hard he pushes. There is only a void of nothingness where this information should be.

“Are you okay – oi, Kurosaki!”

Ichigo snaps to attention. Toshiro looks at him with worry and confusion.

“Sorry, I was just surprised to see you, Toshiro!” His smile is tremulous, but he is lucky that Toshiro is still so easily irritated by the informal way Ichigo speaks to him.

“That’s captain Hitsugaya to you.” The boy mumbles and Ichigo stifles a smirk.

He gets right to the point, because another captain from the Soul Society visiting is his best chance. Maybe where he failed to make Rukia listen to him, now he will succeed with Toshiro.

“Anyways, are you in a hurry?” Ichigo asks this casually, even though he anticipates that Toshiro isn’t out on a mission.

No, this is his free time and Ichigo is using it all up, but tonight Toshiro will have to deal with it if he wants to see Karin again.

“I-“

“Good! We can talk.” Ichigo pats the captain on the back and directs him into the nearest room.

They pass Yoruichi in the hallway and the woman looks on at the pair with confusion, but a look from Ichigo tells her that there is nothing too worrisome happening, as of yet. So Yoruichi shrugs and directs her steps deeper inside the shop, leaving Toshiro in Ichigo’s hands, much to the captain’s chagrin.

“What is so important right now, Kurosaki?” Toshiro crosses his arms over his chest, watching Ichigo from the opposite side of the round table.

Ichigo clears his throat and picks at the scratched surface of the table.

“There is something I want to report to you. An incident, so to say.”

At the keyword, Toshiro sits a tad straighter.

“What incident? I didn’t hear anything-“

“It wasn’t exactly big or destructive.” Ichigo bites back the damp smile that wants to break to the surface. “But I feel it is too important to ignore.”

“Alright then, I’m all ears.”

So Ichigo relates to him in similar terms, exactly what he told Rukia the other day.

Meanwhile, Toshiro keeps a straight face, up until Ichigo stops and allows himself to breathe again.

“Is that all?”

A sharp jab right into his soul, if there ever was one.

“I’m sure that it was nothing, Kurosaki.”

Ichigo scowls and hits his fist on the table.

“Well, it was _something_! Did you hear anything I said?!”

“I heard.” Toshiro admits carefully. He crosses his arms over his chest and sighs. “But there hasn’t been a trace of that reiatsu in over ten years. And the other day, captains Kurotsuchi, Kuchiki of the sixth and Soi-Fon reported that the reiatsu has disappeared for good. They saw it happen.”

Ichigo clicks his tongue. This is exactly a rendition of Rukia’s words, and he is getting frustrated with their flippant and dismissive attitude.

“And you don’t think that it is a problem that I saw it in the world of the living, _after_ it has supposedly disappeared?”

Toshiro shrugs. “Kurotsuchi has an impressive array of sensors. If none of them pinged, then the amount of reiatsu must have been very small.” The boy leans forward, meeting Ichigo’s eyes and speaking slowly, trying to make Ichigo understand that this subject of conversation is done. “Whatever it was, it’s gone now, Kurosaki. So, you can relax.”

A small laugh escapes from Ichigo’s mouth as he leans back, hands supporting him as he looks at the ceiling. Urahara would have a few ideas, but the man is gone and maybe he was truly the only one who took whatever Ichigo said at face value, even if it proved to be false in the end. He should thank the scientist for that more often than he does now because, at the moment, he is struggling not to strangle Toshiro and the rest of these careless Shinigami.

Just because the war has been over for a decade does not mean that things are fine and dandy again. At least, that’s what Ichigo’s gut tells him, and he’d be dead twice over if he hadn’t made it a habit to listen to it.

“Kind of hard to relax when shit like this keeps happening, Toshiro. I think that you guys are getting pretty lax about the situation.”

His tone is biting, but Toshiro does not let it affect him. Instead, the captain’s eyes narrow on him.

“’ _You guys_ ’?”

Caught red-handed, Ichigo clears his throat, suddenly uncomfortable with the truth. But at the same time, he summons whatever irritation still swims inside his chest and says.

“Yeah, I told Rukia about this a few weeks ago and she said to forget it. But how can I, when it happened in my own damn house?!”

Toshiro stands up abruptly from the table and Ichigo follows him with his eyes, knowing that their impromptu discussion is over.

The captain is glaring at him and a shiver rakes down Ichigo’s spine, both from the cold and the sudden spike of adrenaline that comes in response to the murderous look in the other’s eyes.

“If captain Kuchiki said that, then you should listen to her, Kurosaki. There is no use in beating a dead horse anymore.”

With that astute closing remark, Toshiro turns on his heels and walks away.

Ichigo hangs his head, properly defeated. He looks at his hands, flexes his fingers, ears ringing and despair threatening to drown him. Maybe he _does_ need to forget everything.

Forget that thing ever happened, forget that reiatsu, forget that he isn’t sure of many of the details of his own _wedding_ , or in which hospital Kazui was born. Forget that there is something gnawing at his insides and try to live his life as he should, because he only has one chance at a normal, human life and he is wasting it away on wild presumptions.

In sixty years, when he arrives in the soul society, he will have all the time in the world to talk everyone’s ears off about this.

Ichigo drags a hand through his hair and scowls when one or two strands float away. There is one thing that he dreads more than a possible return of Yhwach, and that is growing bald. Ikkaku will be ecstatic, but everyone else and their mothers will laugh at him until the end of time.

With a sigh, Ichigo stands up from his pillows, preparing for the trek home. Toshiro’s words steadily replay inside his mind and with each rendition, a stone presses harder onto his chest.

It is somewhere in the middle of thinking that when a gravelly, staticky voice breaks through again, as loud, obnoxious and rude as ever.

_“Who the hell said that the horse is dead, huh?!”_

It is such an unexpected event after so many eventless weeks that Ichigo is momentarily stunned, but his position is precarious, and he _was_ in the middle of an action. So, as with every force and counterforce, Ichigo slips when he hears Zangetsu’s voice, hits his head on the table and loses consciousness with a bang.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rip ichigo's sanity, but the mindfuck is not over ups


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

**_Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:_ ** _"I had anticipated this situation. It would be foolish to hope that the Shinigami [...] would not seek a way to recover them. Eventually, they would surely find a way to take back what was theirs."_

* * *

After an indeterminate amount of time, Ichigo’s eyes blink open, but it is not the ceiling of Urahara’s shop that greets him.

Dark grey clouds sit ominously in the sky, as if one minute away from letting it pour. Ichigo tries to sit up, but his hands slip on the wet concrete below his body. Somewhat, he wrestles himself into a more vertical position, but when he sees the rest of his inner world, he is grimly reminded of the regrets and the weight he still carries on his shoulders.

The place is partially submerged in murky green water, but it is less disastrous than when he came here to learn the Final Getsuga Tensho. Still, the buildings are spotted and dripping with water, as if fresh out of a shower, but the sorry state of this world pales in comparison with the suffocating atmosphere.

Ichigo almost thinks that he really is at a very high altitude, so hard it is to breathe. The air is stale, humid and an indecipherable smell makes it a thousand times worse.

“Struggling for air I see, _good_! You should experience firsthand the shithole this place has become.”

Zangetsu bares his teeth at him. The long years have barely tamed his attitude towards his master, but Ichigo is hardly one to talk when he is the one who turned his back and left the Zanpakuto here all alone. There wasn’t even any old man to keep him distracted this time around.

“Zangetsu,” Ichigo rasps, still fighting for a gulp of oxygen.

Zangetsu points an accusing finger, hardly affected by the absence of air.

“You have a lot to answer for, you asshole-“

“Yeah, yeah.” Ichigo interrupts him, waving a hand in dismissal. He knows that little detail most intimately, yet he cannot imagine what Zangetsu wants him to do to pay it back. Either way, Ichigo is as unamused by Zangetsu’s dramatic reactions as ever before. He tries to rise to his feet, but the damn window he’s landed on is insanely slippery.

His Zanpakuto watches him try his best with a sarcastic smirk and Ichigo sends a scowl in his direction.

“I’m glad to be a source of amusement for you.” Ichigo swears when his right leg jerks dangerously on the smooth surface. He doesn’t even notice Zangetsu come closer and crouch down on the windowsill until he looks up and comes face to face with him. “What the fu-“

“Right, we should get to it, _king_.”

The snarl has something more to it than the usual one Ichigo remembers, but he can hardly analyze it now when he’s trying to not become the laughingstock of his inner world – population two.

“You know, after all these years I thought that you would become at _least_ a little bit better-“

“I’m just going to stop you right there.” Zangetsu’s tone is serious and mild, and the sword lifts one hand.

Ichigo swallows the rest of his words back down and looks at him incredulously. The image before him is much too ordinary to be placed anywhere near Zangetsu – a fighting machine filled with nothing but the desire to become more powerful. His Zanpakuto looks entirely too human right now and Ichigo is suddenly alarmed.

“Oh shit, these ten years really did a number on you!”

Zangetsu’s blade comes precariously close to chopping his head off.

“I said shut up!” The zanpakuto shouts in an outburst more suited to his usual self. Zangetsu’s unnatural black and yellow eyes narrow as he retracts his weapon.

Ichigo stands still, mouth slightly agape and indecisive between being fearful or irritated that Zangetsu almost killed him. It is honestly a sensation he hasn’t felt in more than a decade, and it is enough to make him wary.

His zanpakuto rolls his eyes.

“Give me a break! When did you become such a wuss?”

Ichigo’s jaw clenches before he scowls. “Well excuse me if I haven’t actually _been_ in a battle in ten years! You know, there are some things-“

“Wait, wait, _wait_ , back it up!” It is Zangetsu’s turn to study him with incredulity. He makes an aborting signal and Ichigo cannot decide if these human gestures are an improvement or a horrible addition to his crazy character. “What’s with this ‘you haven’t battled in ten years’ bull?”

Ichigo frowns. Surely, Zangetsu is messing with him, though he wonders what the endgame in this case is.

“You know very well! I haven’t transformed in a Shinigami in ten years, ever since we beat Yhwach and his Sternritters.” The former soul reaper watches his sword with confusion. “Where in the hell have _you_ been that you don’t know that? Weren’t you supposed to stay in my inner world?”

Zangetsu jabs his sword into the ground, which makes Ichigo wince. He then uses that sword hand to rub his chin thoughtfully, which gives his master enough whiplash to keep him from commenting on it.

“Oh, I’ve been here alright, but I didn’t expect this. _This_ is some interesting shit that is going on.”

Ichigo shakes his head, trying to get rid of whatever… _this_ is.

With furrowed brows and not much of anything else going right for him, Ichigo growls at his Zanpakuto.

“Would you make sense already!”

The warning snaps Zangetsu out of his stupor. The sword grins, wide and full of teeth, and Ichigo inches backward and prepares himself for another swipe of that sword.

Instead of conforming to his master’s expectations, Zangetsu only lets his legs dangle off the edge of the windowsill and studies Ichigo tacitly, which is not exactly the most comfortable place in the world to be in.

“What.” The simple word lands like a hammer between them.

Ichigo waits for another minute, in which he hopes that Zangetsu is going to start spewing. Just as he prepares himself for round two, the sword opens his mouth.

“I think that there’s been a misunderstanding here, king.”

“Oh really?” Ichigo asks drily, but Zangetsu does not register the quip.

“I’ve really been in your inner world, but not exactly _here_.”

Feeling a migraine coming on, Ichigo strains not to whimper.

“ _Please_ make sense already, you _dumb_ -“

Zangetsu pretends that he didn’t hear the end of Ichigo’s sentence.

“Zip it, you bastard, and let me talk!” When Ichigo follows his order, Zangetsu nods, pleased. “Right so, _as I was saying,_ I was not necessarily _here_. After Yhwach fell, your inner world suddenly changed. I don’t get the details, but one moment everything was fine and the next, I couldn’t _move_!”

Ichigo frowns but stops himself from asking anything in fear that he will cut Zangetsu’s pace and then they will be back to square one.

“Everything was pretty dark, and my arms and legs were tingling unpleasantly.” The sword seems sort of distressed as he talks about the awful experience. “A couple of weeks passed until I was finally able to blink past the darkness and it took another,” the sword tilts his head from side to side, considering, “maybe two months? To actually get moving again.”

He pauses then and Ichigo takes this as a cue to intervene.

“Zangetsu,” he begins gently and is encouraged when his sword does not react badly to the tone, “I think that it was more than a couple of months that you were like that. I don’t exactly understand what happened, but for me, nothing felt different. I’m sorry that you had to experience that though, and that I wasn’t able to help.”

Zangetsu frowns at him. “Well, you weren’t here, so you obviously couldn’t do anything.”

Ichigo’s eyebrows rise in surprise at the surly tone. “I could still access my inner world, it’s just that I didn’t know-“

“No, you _literally_ weren’t there. I couldn’t feel you at the helm and you weren’t answering, no matter how much I yelled.”

And this, at least, makes a little sense. Ichigo is pretty sure that he would have felt something, had anything happened to his inner world and to Zangetsu. The thing is – no matter how much he ran away from any Shinigami-related business, he would have come to help Zangetsu if something like this ever happened. Besides, Ichigo cannot imagine what exactly could actually happen to transform his inner world into whatever Zangetsu just described.

“It took me a while to get here and I had to do a lot of swimming and digging. Literally.” The sword scrunches his nose up in distaste. “But when I finally broke up to the surface, I found this place in shambles! And you looking like a fucking _hobo_ and _balding_!”

Ichigo glowers at the smug bastard, “I’m not balding, you dumb fuck!”, but Zangetsu is too preoccupied with laughing his ass off to pay any attention to him. The sword slaps the ground next to him and his laugh echoes through the wet wasteland around them.

“My first thought was that I had the wrong address.” Zangetsu chuckles at his own joke and Ichigo rolls his eyes. “And when I finally managed to talk to you, it was harder than I remembered.”

Ichigo’s heart squeezes inside his chest at the mention of that time, over two months ago.

“It took me some time to understand what’s going on, but now I finally think I get it.” Zangetsu rests his head in his palm and looks at Ichigo with a measuring look in his eyes.

Ichigo cocks an eyebrow, expecting a serious answer.

“And what, exactly, do you think is going on?”

“You’re asleep.” Zangetsu says simply and Ichigo sighs, making the grand effort of finally rising to his feet.

He succeeds, but only just.

“Right, that seems interesting. But if you brought me here just to tell me that-“

“Listen here, you shitty king.” A pale hand grabs his shoulder and turns him around. Ichigo swears as he almost twists his ankle. Zangetsu is all up in his face and his displeased expression is too close for comfort to Ichigo’s own face. “You are literally asleep up there! You gotta wake up or everything goes to hell and I don’t want to die yet, do you hear me?!”

He shakes Ichigo for good measure and the man struggles not to hit the sword too hard when he slaps his hand away.

“Look Zangetsu,” he begins with a sigh, “I’m asleep because you were stupid enough to take me by surprise and I hit my head on the table or something, most probably.”

This time Zangetsu shakes Ichigo with two hands and all but spits in his face when he shouts.

“You dumb shit! I’m not saying _out_ there, I’m saying _up_ there! _Up_ where _reality_ is!”

Ichigo would be angry, if he wasn’t too preoccupied with Zangetsu’s impending insanity. It seems that Ichigo’s own process of losing his mind is currently affecting his zanpakuto as well. Otherwise, he cannot imagine what the hell Zangetsu keeps sputtering.

He takes a deep breath, trying to calm down and analyze what his insistent zanpakuto says from a logical standpoint.

“Alright, let me get this straight.” Ichigo tries to gently disentangle himself from Zangetsu’s hold. “You were caught up in some place, but then you managed to break free and swim up to the surface of my inner world.”

The sword nods rapidly, face grave as he points to the building at their feet. “ _This_ world.”

Ichigo clears his throat in lieu of spitting out an unhelpful retort.

“And you tried to talk to me, but you couldn’t because it was too difficult.”

“Yeah, because you are ugly and bald now!”

A vein pops on Ichigo’s temple, but he tries his best to reign in his temper.

“So, what changed? You can talk to me now.”

The question seems to take Zangetsu aback for a bit before he shakes himself from his stupor and answers.

“I realized that you were asleep.” The sword answers simply. “Once I got that, it was easier to navigate through this shitty made-up world.”

Ichigo reaches up and pinches the bridge of his nose, trying in vain to absorb all the nonsense Zangetsu just spewed onto him.

Asleep? Shitty, made-up world?

_One step at a time, Kurosaki._

“You keep saying that I’m asleep, but I don’t get it. _Where_ am I asleep? And how comes that this feels like me not sleeping?”

Zangetsu cocks his head to the side and when Ichigo is finally ready to shout out that he caught the bastard at his own game, the sword opens his mouth, ready to trample over his master’s reality and sanity once more.

“That’s obvious – you are asleep back in the real world.” Zangetsu’s hands slip in the pockets of his hakama pants. “This illusion keeps you from seeing that though. It’s pretty well crafted, I will give it that.”

With each word, Ichigo’s eyebrow inches a little bit further up on his forehead. He is left speechless in the wake of the explanation, mostly because it is patently ridiculous. This no illusion that he’s been living in during these ten years, Zangetsu can keep insisting otherwise however long he wants.

“Zangetsu,”

The sword bares his teeth at him again. Ichigo thinks that this is getting a little old.

“Don’t give me that dumb expression! I’m right and you know it!”

Far be it for Ichigo to outrightly disagree with him. No, this needs another approach because, right now, Ichigo is convinced that his sword might be in denial about the current state of Ichigo’s existence. Though he does wonder where this tidal wave of protests was until now. He could have curbed them long ago and now there wouldn’t be any need to deal with whatever inventions Zangetsu keeps unloading onto him.

“What you’re saying is ridiculous!” Ichigo finally explodes like he’s meant to do since the beginning of this surreal conversation. “Think about it, why would this be an illusion? And why would I willingly live in it? In a world where-“

Ichigo bites his tongue to keep from spilling things better left in the dark, empty corners of his soul. There is no need to drag up any skeletons from the closet and there is _absolutely_ no way that he will talk about his many misgivings with Zangetsu, of all beings. His sword might be wickedly sharp in battle, but his tongue is equally sharp in a conversation and he judges too harshly without trying to empathize. And right at this moment, Ichigo needs a lot of empathizing, first and foremost. 

But Zangetsu had time to take a look inside his soul and he glimpsed enough shit in there to keep him angry for the next century.

So he grunts, “Where you lost the queen and your life is shitty enough that you want to find any excuse to change it?”

Zangetsu makes a face while Ichigo’s mouth falls slowly open.

The sword scoffs snobbishly.

“Please, I know you are ugly as fuck and growing bald now, but I didn’t think that you’d also become such a monumental _wuss_!”

Ichigo starts to sputter, but Zangetsu lifts his palm towards Ichigo’s face and the orange-haired man’s head snaps backward, afraid of encountering a Cero somewhere in the middle of that white hand.

“See!” The sword shouts as Ichigo proves his point. Zangetsu’s raised hand lands on his hip as he grouses. “I should spare myself the misery and just take over your body, but then I’d be too fucking embarrassed to live in it. So that’s a no from me.”

A muscle in his eye pulses and Ichigo doesn’t know if he should take the comment as an offense or be happy that his inner hollow slash zanpakuto doesn’t want to take over his body anymore.

“As for your stupid questions, I have all the answers you need, king.” Zangetsu grins, a tad too rabidly to be entirely in the normal parameters. “This is definitely an illusion and you are asleep up there in reality. I’m not sure what exactly happened, but what I _do_ remember is that after we cut down Yhwach, some shady bastards appeared and surrounded us. They did something to us, I can’t remember what, but next thing I know is that I’m in that awful dark place.

And for your information, I can sense the flow of time, so there’s absolutely no fucking way that I’m wrong when I said that it only took me some four months to get here to you. You can grouse about your ten years however long you want! On the other hand, I can’t pretend to know why you’d want to live in _this_ particular illusion world, but you were always a masochist deep down, so what the fuck do I know, right?”

By the end of his well-articulated speech, Zangetsu crosses his arms over his chest, absolutely pleased with the words that just exited his mouth. Ichigo - on another plane of reality and most certainly in another timeline – only continues to watch him dumbly.

The only thing his mushy brain can register is –

“When we cut down Yhwach?”

Zangetsu nods. “Yeah.”

“But didn’t we-didn’t I…?” Ichigo stops because as much as he wills it, the memory is fuzzy and incomprehensible to him at this moment.

His sword smirks cheekily. “Can’t recover such a simple memory, old man?”

Ichigo glares, but isn’t that the truth anyway? He can’t remember much and not exactly in as many details. The only thing he has is a sort of intuitive feeling that they did a lot of stuff after Yhwach fell and that everything is a blur, but when he coaxes it to the surface, it really is a _literal blur_.

“That’s because it didn’t really happen.” Zangetsu seems to have read through his jumbled thoughts when he speaks. The sword shrugs. “You didn’t live through it so you obviously can’t remember it. Simple as that.”

The simplicity of the statement brings Ichigo’s whole world to a screeching stop.

He didn’t live it so he cannot remember it.

But for example, when he tries to remember Kazui’s last birthday party, his mind readily cooperates with him and he can even visualize what kind of cake his son had. Because he lived through that day.

“ _Uhhh_ , let’s not bring your illusion-made, fake-spawn into the conversation please.” Zangetsu almost groans, covering his eyes with one hand. His fingers open and yellow eyes glare at Ichigo through the crack. “I know ten fake years is a long time, but did you really have to _procreate_ of all things?” The way he says that word, it’s like Zangetsu’s fighting a battle against the toughest, most disgusting of opponents.

Ichigo would have laughed, had he not been on the verge of a mental breakdown.

“So… so then,” he cannot even finish the sentence. He is unsure that he wants to.

More things make sense than not when Zangetsu put it this way and this is absolutely not what Ichigo needed, but in all fairness, it is what he wanted in the most remote corners of his soul.

He wanted an explanation for the simple, mundane things that he had no information on. Ichigo wished to understand why he knew some stuff, while other details or a huge chunk of the explanation was presently unaccounted for. He asked himself things and some of the time, the answers came easily, while on other occasions, he had to fight against himself and the world to obtain them.

When was the last time he and Ishida hunted Hollows together?

How did the Quincy end up as a doctor when he swore on heaven and hell that he won’t?

Why did Orihime give up on her dream of owning a small business?

Did Ichigo stand in her way or was Ichigo the obstacle all along?

When did Chad decide to forget his promise to his grandfather and become a professional fighter?

Where was he then, to remind him of it?

Where, exactly, was his father nowadays anyway?

When was the last time he used his powers?

Why can’t he remember much from the time in between the war and Kazui’s fifth birthday?

Why did that trace of reiatsu appear in his house and then just disappeared?

Ichigo looks up when the last question passes through his mind and looks up.

“Do you know?”

“Know what?” Zangetsu asks with confusion.

Ichigo grits his teeth. “About that trace of Yhwach’s reiatsu.”

The sword shakes his head and Ichigo’s stomach plummets.

“I know about it from you, but I don’t know how it got in your house. I was already here when it appeared.” He munches on his lower lip thoughtfully. “Maybe it was because of me?” Then he shakes his head. “Nah, couldn’t be. It would have happened earlier. My only theory is that some of Yhwach’s reiatsu followed you here somehow.”

The notion was not reassuring in the least.

“That’s not good.” Ichigo tries his best to hold back a grimace. “I tried to tell Rukia and Toshiro about it, but they wouldn’t listen.”

“You mean they could care less.” Zangetsu scoffs and Ichigo swallows past the desperation clogging his throat. “But it’s obvious they don’t – they are figments of your imagination.”

Ichigo startles. “What?”

But Zangetsu only has criticisms to throw at him today. “Things should go according to your laws, more or less. Though it’s kind of hard to believe that you are _that_ much of a masochist, so there must be something else that makes them act this way.”

Ichigo watches on stupidly and without any ideas what is going on while his sword debates with himself. On the other end of the spectrum, Zangetsu is dropping facts like a mad scientist on his way to get revenge.

His fist lands in his open palm and successfully snaps Ichigo out of his self-induced, bewildered stupor.

“It’s the illusion! That must be it!” Zangetsu shouts, delighted, and looks into his master’s blank face. “This illusion obviously wants to keep you from realizing what is going on, so you won’t break out of it. It’s making everyone around you act like they don’t believe you so everything can go back to normal.”

Ichigo blinks as his mind struggles to keep up with the explanation. The facts are muddled and it’s suspiciously hard to get through to them. Zangetsu must also sense that something is not necessarily right with his master.

The sword leans forward to study Ichigo’s face more closely, a grimace on his face.

“ _Aw_ , yeah. That’s why you look dumber than usual. It’s affecting you too.”

Ichigo scowls at him. “Then why isn’t it affecting _you_?”

“No fucking clue.” Zangetsu replies gruffly. “Could be ‘cause I’m new around here.”

“Whatever the case,” Ichigo reaches out to rub his pulsing forehead. The pain has been steadily accumulating throughout their conversation, but it has reached the point of discomfort, “I will have to rely on you until we break out of here.”

The zanpakuto grins, predatorily and yet a tad excitedly. “Hell yeah, I will be the brains of this operation. Leave it to me!” He flexes his arm and Ichigo shudders and tries his best not to look too ungrateful.

There is a moment of merciful silence in which Ichigo’s headache seems to settle down a bit, a fact that he is grateful for. Zangetsu goes back to his previous spot and sits down while Ichigo silently considers the pros and cons of navigating over the glass floor.

He starts in the opposite direction and it takes him a full five minutes of concentration, but he does manage to get to the other side of the window unscathed and without becoming the butt of a joke. After he is properly seated, Ichigo looks up to Zangetsu, only to find the zanpakuto quietly observing him and possibly waiting for Ichigo to talk.

Ichigo clears his throat, uncomfortable, as this has never happened before and he is unsure what he should say, but then a thought occurs to him. He didn’t tell Zangetsu under what circumstances he found Yhwach’s reiatsu in the first place. 

Bracing for another headache, Ichigo takes a deep breath and speaks out. His voice crossing the distance between them easily.

“About that reiatsu – there’s something else I found out.” The man hesitates for a second, but Zangetsu’s uncharacteristic silence drags the information right out of his mouth. “Kazui told me that Ichika appeared just after he put his hand through a piece of Yhwach's reiatsu that appeared in Yuzu's room.”

The first thing his zanpakuto asks, in the face of this sensitive confession, is:

“Who the hell is Ichika again?”

Ichigo slaps his forehead in disbelief. “Do you really need to know that?”

“Obviously, so that I can properly imagine it.” Zangetsu replies with a tone that tells Ichigo exactly how dumb he considers him to be.

His master sighs tiredly. “She is Rukia and Renji’s daughter and a Shinigami in training, apparently.”

Zangetsu’s face twists more and more, the further Ichigo goes with that explanation. By the end, his sword’s expression is something that can loosely be interpreted as uncensured disgust. A thousand unspoken words build that expression.

Ichigo expels a breath through his nose, amused if anything.

“Going back to our discussion now -“

He doesn’t get to finish. Zangetsu sails through the air and closes the distance between them in under two seconds.

Ichigo barely gets to finish blinking when a fist slams into his cheek and throws him back.

“What the _fuck_ , Zangetsu?!” Ichigo spits out blood and grimaces as the long-forgotten experience of having his nose broken resurfaces to the forefront of his mind.

“That’s for letting that monkey bastard touch the queen!”

“Like I had much of a choice.” The orange-haired man grunts, more of a reluctant mumble than anything else. He braces himself for round two with Zangetsu, but the zanpakuto has already returned to his seat.

“Alright, continue.”

Ichigo glowers in the bastard’s direction, but right now Zangetsu is his one and only chance and it is important to cooperate with him, no matter his eccentricities.

“A couple of months ago – just before you appeared – Rukia, Renji and Ichika came by for a visit. Kazui told me only after, but apparently, when they met, Ichika appeared inside the room just after he put his hand inside a blob of reiatsu that also appeared out of nowhere. At least, that’s how he described it and pointed out that it looked like Ywhach’s reiatsu that he saw with me later on.”

Zangetsu’s fingers tap a steady rhythm on his knee. Ichigo shifts, trying his best to ignore the pain in his face and gathers his thoughts, looking for anything else he might have overlooked in his explanation.

“Hmm.”

Ichigo waits but, “That’s it?”

“What do you want me to say? This is hardly unexpected.”

“And how comes that?”

“I got a theory, but I’m not sure it’s right.” Zangetsu’s eyes narrow. “Though from what you just said, it might be close to what’s going on.”

This stops Ichigo alright. “You got _theories_ now?”

“What the fuck does _that_ mean, huh?” Zangetsu throws him a scathing glare. He harrumphs childishly. “I just got a feeling that Ichi- _whatever_ is being controlled by Yhwach’s reiatsu or something like that. Especially if you say that she did what she did.”

Predictably, Ichigo jumps on his theory, set to tear it apart.

“That’s impossible!”

Zangetsu rolls his eyes. _So_ predictable.

“Ichika’s just a kid! What does she have to do with any of this? And besides, I didn’t feel anything strange going on when I met her.”

The zanpakuto closes his eyes, willing his boiling anger to simmer under the surface for a little bit longer. He needs to get the king out of here, preferably alive, though the bastard is making it pretty hard not to kill him. But Zangetsu knows that the only way he is getting out of here is with Ichigo in tow, not to mention that he will never be able to potentially ‘face’ the queen if he leaves the idiot behind.

He doesn’t know what exactly happened back in their reality, but it must be nothing pretty for the king if they are stuck in this troublesome illusion. Someone powerful must be pulling the strings and, as per usual, their luck pushed them to be caught up in the trap.

“The fact that she’s just a kid has nothing to do with it!” Zangetsu retorts. “And let’s be honest, you are shit at sensing anything if it doesn’t outrightly want to kill you.”

“Ichika is Rukia and Renji’s kid.” Ichigo tries again. “There is no way-“

“I will gag if you mention that again, got it?” Even now, Zangetsu tries his best not to puke the nothing he has in his stomach. Zanpakuto do not eat, alright? But the thought matters. “Besides!”

He shouts loud enough to break Ichigo out of whatever illusion-induced stupor he is caught in that he’s not cooperating well with Zangetsu.

“That kid might not even be real. Kind of doubt that your spawn is either.”

“What!” Ichigo barks and this time he sails over the distance between them and grabs Zangetsu by the front of his white shihakushou. “Don’t say that!”

“It is the truth, you know?” The sword frowns, befuddled. “This world is not real, king.”

He can imagine the kind of grief that must course through Ichigo’s veins, but Zangetsu feels that it is better to rip the band aid off before it melts into the skin forever. The king is a potential disaster full of bottled up and confused emotions. The last thing Zangetsu needs is for the dumb idiot to refuse to destroy this illusion and set them free because he does not want to kill Kazui, who has never really been alive in the first place.

Like the idiot who refuses to see reality that he is, Ichigo shakes his head in denial.

“No, that can’t be true. Kazui is _real_ -“

“He’s as real as your brain is right now.” Zangetsu cannot resist the jab. He bares his teeth at his master. “Idiot, stop being so blind already!” With smooth movements, the sword plucks each of Ichigo’s fingers off his clothes.

The orange-haired man slumps over and his hands fall to his sides, defeated. He stares at the ground unseeingly and Zangetsu takes a deep breath because he has had enough of this dramatic little shit to last him a lifetime.

“Look, things have pretty much gone to hell. Whoever did this to us – I’m pretty sure that they did not expect Yhwach’s reiatsu to make a comeback. Now it’s here and fucking shit up! This illusion will crumble at some point anyway, especially because I’m pretty sure that Yhwach will grow more powerful with time.”

“The soul reapers said that it’s gone.” Ichigo’s voice is only a trace of smoke on the cloudy sky.

Zangetsu barely hears the words, but when he does, he scoffs.

“That’s the illusion talking. _Everything_ is the illusion talking, trying to keep you here.”

Ichigo lifts his head and when his eyes meet Zangetsu’s, they burn with anger and pain.

“And how are you so damn sure? Tell me, Zangetsu! What if _you_ are the illusion?!”

The idiot is clutching at his head and Zangetsu knows that this is a sign that this discussion has gone too far.

The zanpakuto restrains his twitching hands – itching to register some punches on Ichigo’s hopeless expression – and instead stands up.

“There’s only one way to find out.” His conclusion draws his master out of his self-induced pity party. “Go out there and see for yourself.”

Ichigo is a hands-on kind of guy. Sometimes he needs a little push, but the rest, he usually accomplishes by himself.

Zangetsu watches him vanish from his inner world with a grim tilt to his lips and a feeling that getting their asses out of this mess will be harder than he first anticipated.

* * *

“You are joking.” Renji deadpans, just because he is afraid that what Aizen just said is not actually a joke.

The madman himself shoots the lieutenant a bland look, so infuriating yet familiar enough by now.

Renji sighs and crosses his arms over his chest. “And how, pray tell, do we accomplish _this_?”

“I hardly care what sorcery you pull to make it work.” Aizen turns back to his ancient book, done with the discussion. Though he cannot resist but add, “You and Ishida Uryuu have a special place in his heart. So sort it out.”

A snort of disdain echoes from behind Renji.

“Yes, we do have the honor of having jars with our names on them in his lab. ‘Just in case’.” Uryuu makes a face as he mimics the nutcase in question.

Renji rubs the back of his neck and looks around at the people scattered through the archives.

“Anyone wants to give us a hand?” When only silence answers him, he grits his teeth and tries again. “You know, like a fellow _captain_?”

“I ain’t touching the twelfth division with a ten-foot pole, sorry.” Shinji’s head pops out from behind a bookcase. “And I kind of doubt the others will either. You two idiots are on your own.”

Renji hangs his head while Uryuu fixes his glasses. With one last dark glare thrown in Aizen’s direction, he directs Renji towards the exit and onto the populated streets of the seventh Rukongai district.

“How are we going to convince him, Ishida?” Renji asks after a while.

Uryuu fixes his glasses again and sidesteps a horde of kids that carelessly run in the street.

“Not sure yet.” The lieutenant deflates at the admission. Uryuu’s eyes flash. “I just know that our leverage must be bigger than the other side’s.”

“… Leverage?”

* * *

“What brings you here, hmm?” Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s gaze is as unnerving as it’s always been.

Uryuu hates this man with a passion – and it’s almost on the same level as in Aizen’s case, but not quite. And yet again, he finds himself subjected to the torture of having to talk and, worst of all, _negotiate_ with him.

The Quincy swears that Kurosaki owes him for the rest of his life if they manage to somehow pull this off.

“We are here with an offer.”

Renji throws him an alarmed look, unsubtle enough for Mayuri to catch it.

A large grin stretches over the scientist’s lips as he brings his hands together.

“Well, now. Lieutenant Abarai just looked back in fear at your words.”

Renji doesn’t have the chance to protest.

“Why is that, Ishida Uryuu?”

Uryuu’s skin crawls at the tone, at the sound of his name and at the general environment in the twelfth division. The effect is worse because Nemu is not around, but it is also somewhat alleviated because some guy named Akon keeps going in and out of the room, carrying devices, papers and many more things. Mayuri probably put him in charge of Nemu’s workload until the captain builds himself a new lieutenant.

The young man stays still, emotionless and, most importantly, looks at the mad scientist without fear.

“Our offer is simple, yet I can only tell you the details after you have given me your word that you will help us.”

“What is this? The second grade of middle school? If you don’t start speaking clearly, you will end up in your promised jar, boy.”

Uryuu’s eyebrow twitches. Renji gulps.

“You will have the chance to analyze, at your leisure, the one thing you will otherwise never get a chance to.”

Immediately, Mayuri’s interest is piqued. Uryuu hates that he’s become adept at speaking this nutcase’s language.

“And what is that?”

“A very rare material that is found in one place and one place only.”

“And how are you so certain that it is only found there?” Mayuri muses as Akon drops by to grab another armful of files.

Uryuu watches him dash from the room before he answers. “Because we found unquestionable proof that it is the truth. In official Soul Society documents.” It is always important to add the source of the citation, he’s learned that painful lesson some time ago.

Mayuri takes two minutes to ponder on this, humming and hawing as his eyes shift about the room. This man just cannot seem to sit still, not when his mind is already two days ahead of him.

At long last, the captain asks. “How perilous is for me to help you?”

Uryuu makes a show of considering his question very seriously.

“It won’t exactly mean much peril for you, even if we succeed or fail.”

Mayuri’s eyes slit and Uryuu strains not to show any weakness under that slimy gaze.

It takes longer this time around, but finally, Mayuri nods and turns back to his wall of computers.

“You may talk while I work.”

“Captain Kurotsuchi,” Renji begins meaningfully.

The scientist sighs in irritation and turns abruptly towards them. “My word is my promise. Is that good enough for you?” With a scowl, he then looks towards poor Akon. “Out! No one is allowed to enter!”

The subordinate basically jumps from the room and shuts the door behind him.

Uryuu grows more restless with the only exit sealed shut. Renji takes a step closer to where Mayuri has sat down at his console, hands behind his back. Still, he keeps his silence and Uryuu knows that it is his duty to report their findings and everything else that the man needs to know.

“A plan is in motion to free Kurosaki Ichigo from the Soul King’s palace.”

Mayuri’s fingers stutter on the keyboard and the man looks up, staring blankly at the screen in front of him.

“I assume that Kuchiki Rukia’s sudden promotion has something to do with this?”

“Not exactly, but it was an added bonus.”

Mayuri immediately snorts. “Such things do not exist, boy. Someone placed Kuchiki there because she was useful to their plans.”

“Whatever the case,” Uryuu lifts his glasses and ignores the cold jolt in his chest, “the only plan that will succeed is ours.”

“What else?”

“Kurosaki is currently kept prisoner in a special crystal named the Outsukama. It has several special properties-“

“That I do not want to know about, unless all of my interest will be gone.” Mayuri shoots a meaningful look over his shoulder. “What about your plan? How are you getting Kurosaki Ichigo out?”

“Kuchiki Rukia is the sentry in the palace. She will keep an eye over what the upper echelons are planning to do. We’ve been informed that the ritual to divide the king will take place in twenty days. The way in and out of the palace is already set into stone, but we are still struggling to come up with an effective way to get Kurosaki out of that crystal. Abarai has a theory, but it needs your input.”

The captain chuckles coldly. “The monkey has a _theory_ , how interesting. And thus, you have come to me, asking for help.”

Renji bares his teeth as much as it is politely allowed when it comes to a captain. 

The Quincy’s lips press together, but he silently reminds himself that he is doing this for his friends.

“Yes. The books containing the details are scarce in their explanations. What’s more – during the ritual, there is no instance when Kurosaki will be separated from the crystal. Everything that needs to happen will take place inside. And thus, we have to find an alternative to get him out.”

At his side, Renji nods gravely.

Mayuri leans back in his chair and taps his chin.

“Twenty days will only bring you a preliminary report, you know?”

“What-!”

Uryuu slaps a hand over Renji’s mouth.

A smirk crawls on his face as he says, “You will have eighteen days at most, but what you just said makes me want to change my mind. I thought you’d be faster, seeing as you once duplicated all the organs in your body in under half an hour.”

Renji slaps Uryuu’s hand away from his face.

“Yeah! And let’s not forget that the twelfth division managed to build an entire replica of Karakura seemingly overnight under your guidance, Kurotsuchi-taichou.”

“Drop it, Renji. It seems that Kurotsuchi’s lost his touch.” Uryuu says, a touch derisively.

Their remarks have the intended effect. Mayuri’s shoulders tense up more and more until the man abruptly shifts in his seat to glare back at them.

“ _Fine_! Your crystal will be completely analyzed by the time of the ritual and I will have a way to break it and free your precious Kurosaki Ichigo.” The scientist’s glower doubles. “It has better be a goddamn special crystal, Ishida Uryuu, Abarai Renji.”

Both men lean back from the scorching glare.

“Or you two will see the bottom of your jars soon enough!”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't you just love zangetsu?  
> on the other hand, pretty sure that uryuu and renji don't love mayuri; good for them


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

**_Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:_ ** _"_ _Conflict is always such a bitter affair."_

* * *

Eighteen days before the fated ritual is to take place, Kuchiki Byakuya receives a letter very early in the morning.

The envelope that the servant deposits on a decorative plate on his office desk is white with slightly scorched corners but otherwise innocuous in appearance. Nevertheless, Byakuya waits until the servant takes his leave, and until he is sure that he is more or less alone.

He opens the letter, but there is no message from his sister inside. Only when he feels around the envelope, does he discover a slight bulge in its form. Gingerly, he fishes out the transparent piece of rock that Rukia has sent him.

There is no question that this is a fragment of the crystal currently imprisoning Kurosaki Ichigo, though Byakuya does not wish to know how Rukia managed to cut it off without anyone noticing. From what official documents they’ve read, that crystal is impossible to destroy.

Actually, Byakuya did not expect to be sent a piece of the crystal at all, but Rukia insisted that there was no need to send Kurotsuchi Mayuri up to the royal realm. While the sixth division captain agrees that it would have been naught impossible to transport the crazy man up there without a massive clusterfuck, he is undoubtedly concerned over what crazy move his sister-in-law pulled in order to obtain this piece of the crystal.

He tries to leave these kinds of thoughts behind him though, most of all because they are useless in his position. Byakuya rolls the crystal around his palm thoughtfully. He cannot imagine that such a small, innocent thing could bring forth so much pain.

The man’s eyes narrow as something else registers and his hand flexes over the piece.

His spiritual pressure – it is getting absorbed by it, though there is no sign that the crystal is storing it. No, if anything, the fragment in his hand seems to take his reiatsu and spit it out into the atmosphere.

Byakuya’s lips tighten until only a thin line remains. He places the Outsukama crystal back into the envelope and fabricates a sigh as he deliberately discards the small package carelessly on his desk.

“This crystal is only worth one hundred crates of Satou sake.”

The deadpan goes right past his spy’s head, but then again, she has one objective in mind, and it isn’t related to alcohol.

With a small breath in preparation, Nemu climbs out of Kusajishi Yachiru’s former dominion of secret tunnels and passages that span impressively to cover the whole manor grounds.

She plucks the innocent crystal from its place and leaves just as silently, making a mental note to take a closer look around on some other day. Who knows what treasures might be left lying around here?

* * *

“Here is your ticket to alcohol.” Nemu thrusts the envelope right into Ikkaku’s face.

The lieutenant scowls while Yumichika only chuckles behind his hand.

“You deserved that.”

Ignoring his friend, the bald man looks to the small kid with what he hopes is a kind smile, though Nemu does take a step back so he’s unsure that it worked.

“Thanks a lot, kid. And please don’t repeat that ever again.” He accepts the crystal from her and gestures to Yumichika.

With great amusement, the third seat brings forth an armful of sweet products and chocolate collected from various shops around the Seiretei. Ikkaku would rather be dead than be caught buying a shitload of sweets and become the next gossip subject of the lower ranks, so he made Yumichika do all the dirty work this time and, because of that, Ikkaku now owes his friend seventeen times.

Kurosaki better work his ass off for at least fifteen of them.

Nemu accepts her reward tacitly, offers a shallow bow to them both and skips away towards the twelfth division barracks.

“Remind me why she couldn’t just bring it to them directly?” Ikkaku asks in a dry tone and Yumichika rushes to shush him.

“Maybe ‘cause something like this would happen.” The not-really-a-whisper makes both men startle and turn around to face the ninth division captain.

Kensei cocks an eyebrow at their tense forms, though he’s amused enough to let their moment of inattention slide this time around.

“M-Muguruma-taichou.” Ikkaku salutes, still obviously shaken by the encounter. The lieutenant stuffs the envelope in his pocket none too gently while Kensei only continues to study them both.

Truthfully, he was just walking by when he overheard their conversation and, while he might not be directly involved in Kurosaki’s rescue, he has been sufficiently informed by Shinji of everything that is going on with that particular plan.

“You two should be more careful.” Kensei crosses his arms and makes a show of looking up and down the deserted street. “You never know when someone might be eavesdropping. And from what Shinji told me, you need to eliminate all beats of suspicion on your asses.”

“That is true.” Yumichika has calmed down enough to throw his friend a reproaching look. “We also need to make the trace of the crystal as minimal as possible. That means exchanging lots of hands in the process of delivering it to its destination.”

The captain nods, convinced and hopeful that they will be more careful this time around. He offers them a salute and walks away. Behind him, Yumichika swats Ikkaku over the head one time for good measure.

* * *

“Ah, Hinamori!”

Momo looks back to see Renji waving and jogging to catch up with her.

“Abarai-kun!” The fifth squad lieutenant watches him catch up to her. “How are you?”

“Pretty good. What about you, Momo?”

Momo’s eyebrows rise in surprise.

“I’m fine, though I thought that you’d be more depressed.”

It’s Reji’s turn to look at her with confusion. “Why’s that?”

“Since Rukia-san left and all.”

In all honestly, maybe Momo had it wrong.

But in reality, Renji is just an idiot.

The red-haired man sputters as he tries to formulate an answer that is going to reassure Momo that he is, indeed, a little depressed that his childhood friend left to join the Zero Division and that he will never see her again.

_Nope, never again and they also aren’t planning to defy every single rule imposed in the Soul Society ever, not at all._

“I-uh-I’ve been depressed for a while, you know? But, _uh_ , I can’t be depressed forever, right?” Renji tries to laugh it off but instead, he trails off awkwardly when Momo only continues to look at him.

Thankfully, the young woman is still a tad naïve because she only shakes her head at him sadly.

“You’re worse than I imagined.”

Renji inwardly releases a sigh of relief.

“Ye-yeah, but there’s nothing to worry about.” He tries to make his smile seem less sincere than he feels and Renji is pretty sure that the caricature on his face will make Momo send him right to the Fourth Division. So, he goes to distract her as soon as possible. “Actually, I wanted to ask you something.”

Renji produces a small package from the satchel on his back. It is rectangular in shape and when Momo takes it into her hands, its weight is nothing incredible either. Brown paper is folded and kept together by a rough string.

“What is it, Abarai-kun?”

“It’s a book.”

The simple answer does not dare encompass the whole catastrophe of it all. Renji is unsure why they tasked him with this mission, but his captain, Aizen – the damn bastard – and Kukaku Shiba, all said the same thing to him. The second the book was in Renji’s hands, he has been not so nicely reminded that it is worth more than his life, his status and his measly lieutenant salary. He’s also been subtly reassured that while the book is irreplaceable, _he is_.

Which is not exactly what Renji wanted to hear so early in the morning, but it did put things into perspective.

“A book?” Momo repeats, half because Renji is unnervingly silent and half because the sixth division lieutenant is usually not a fan of books.

Her question snaps Renji out of his stupor and he nods.

“Yeah,” one hand goes to the back of his neck, “captain Kuchiki asked me to bring this to captain Hitsugaya, but something came up. Could you give it to him when you visit?”

It was a widely known fact that Momo usually visited the tenth division captain almost every day and whenever she had free time. Momo was actually on her way there right now, so she nods with a smile.

“Of course! I will tell him that it was from you.”

“Thank you.” Renji all but hugs her, though he fears that she will really send him to the fourth if he does that. “Please take good care of it!”

Momo nods and waves at him until he disappears around the corner. Humming to herself, she continues towards the tenth division barracks.

* * *

“Shiro-chan, Abarai-kun asked me to give this to you. It’s from captain Kuchiki.”

Momo deposits the book Renji has given her on Toshiro’s desk.

The captain’s eyes flick once towards the package before returning to the paperwork in front of him.

“Thanks, Momo.” He nods and remains silent, so Momo begins her usual ritual of telling him about her day and speaking about any other interesting things that she has encountered today.

“Poor, Abarai-kun.” The lieutenant says at some point, resting her cheek in her palm.

Toshiro raises an eyebrow, but he does not stop writing on the document in front of him.

“He seemed worse than usual.” Momo’s heart sinks for him. “He must really miss Rukia-san.”

The captain covers his snort with a small cough. Momo opens her mouth to say something, but thankfully, Matsumoto chooses that moment to enter the room with her usual flourish of gestures and exclamations.

Toshiro sighs, knowing that his time to do paperwork has long passed, once his lieutenant has entered the room. He slides away from his desk and walks up to the two chattering women.

“I was thinking of paying grandma a visit today, Hinamori. Do you want to come along?”

Momo looks shocked for a moment, as if she cannot quite believe that Toshiro is really planning to head to granny’s place by his own will. Usually, she has to drag him there on pain of death.

What she does not know is that inwardly, Toshiro is crying at the thought of the dreaded visit as well. Not only is it a fair distance away from the Seiretei and he has work to do, the old woman certainly won’t let them leave until they’ve been fed, grilled with the usual slew of interminable questions, poked and prodded. But then it’s usually late at night and she insists that they sleep there and leave in the morning.

“Of course!” Obviously, Momo has decided to put her confusion behind and take advantage of this opportunity.

Toshiro sends a quick thought towards the heads of this plan and decides that everyone owes him big time.

* * *

Rangiku waves them away and waits until the door is closed before she turns to the mission at hand. The package sits innocently on her captain’s desk and she picks it up, stuffing it in a small satchel and covering it with her scarf.

She then turns on her heels and exits the office, heading for her next destination where she will surely find her target.

On the other side of Seiretei, Ikkaku and Yumichika sit down at Iba and Shuuhei’s table. Kira is conspicuously absent from the gathering, but Yumichika puts it to the fact that the man has to handle the transition process of the squad under their new-old captain.

“Surprised to see you here so late.” Iba snarks with his usual amount of bite.

Yumichika takes the comment as it is without much of a second thought, but Ikkaku’s eyes narrow, which usually spells disaster.

“We have other shit to do, you know?” The lieutenant says gruffly and downs a cupful of sake.

Yumichika crosses his arms over his chest.

“And we still do. I only agreed to take a small break because these errands are simply awful. So, chug down faster Ikkaku, we’ve got places to be.”

Even as he says so, the third seat is only at the six-minute mark in his mental count until thirty. Rangiku should arrive by then, though they will be long gone before she ever spots the table.

The bar in Rukongai’s number one district is busy, even for this time of day. Shinigami just out of duty cluster around the tables in tight circles, talking loudly. It creates a buzz big enough that Yumichika easily loses whatever conversation Ikkaku has with Shuuhei and Iba, but it does provide them with enough cover to correctly execute their part.

“Anyways, we should get going.” Ikkaku says at some point, just when Yumichika was gearing up to drag him away.

The fifth seat rises along with his comrade, though he does take a second more to exchange pleasantries with both lieutenants on the other side of the table. His hand easily slips the piece of Outsukama into the nearest, half-full sake bottle in front of his seat while the other two are concentrated on his words.

Rangiku’s spiritual pressure flares of the edge of their consciousness and Yumichika walks decidedly away from it for one whole damn kilometer.

“The higher-ups should be more concerned with distances than they currently are.” The man mutters as he and Ikkaku execute a sharp turn and bump right into Kira.

“Watch where-oh, it’s you guys.”

Yumichika huffs while Ikkaku rubs his head and releases a slew of expletives right in the middle of the busy street.

“Lieutenant Kira.” The third seat greets him.

A brown package is promptly handed over.

“Rangiku-san asked me to give you this as soon as possible.”

Ikkaku takes one good look at the rectangular objects and groans.

Yumichika, on the other hand, gives his best polite smile and thanks the lieutenant before the two factions continue on their separate ways.

“How much longer until this shit is over?” Ikkaku’s question is rhetorical because they both know the answer.

Even so, Yumichika stuffs the incredibly important package under his arm and answers.

“Hopefully not long now.”

They use flash step to cut down the time it usually takes to get to the other side of the Seireitei. But their destination is not the twelfth division barracks, as one would expect.

“Hey, hey!” Ikkaku grabs a random member of the fifth division and shakes him for good measure. “Tell your captain that we request to see him!”

Yumichika touches a hand to his forehead, unamused by Ikkaku’s brutish demeanor. Thankfully, captain Hirako does not take it personally when he chances on the scene.

Instead, he ushers them inside his office, loudly proclaiming that both of them are here because they want to transfer from the eleventh.

As if anyone would believe such a stupid, ugly lie.

“Is that it?” Captain Hirako asks as his eyes follow the book Yumichika slides in his direction.

Glad to be free of the moral weight of it, the third seat nods with a tight smile.

“Now it is your problem, captain.”

Hirako rolls his eyes, though a grin does threaten to stretch on his lips.

“Say,” Ikkaku rubs the back of his neck, though his other hand taps on the scabbard of his sword, “when should we tell our captain about all of this?”

Honestly, Yumichika has been wondering the same thing lately. He knows that they’ve proclaimed to leave captain Zaraki’s involvement until later, but it is getting increasingly late.

“The general consensus is the morning before the raid.” Captain Hirako answers, eyes never straying from the book. “Zaraki is a touch-and-go kind of guy. He only needs a second to make his decision, so there’s no need to rush.”

Yumichika nods even as Ikkaku seems to be thinking about something else. Either way, he keeps his silence. Together, they depart from the fifth division with the hope that they won’t have to visit Hirako again.

* * *

Rangiku slips into the seat in front of Hisagi – who was, actually, Yumichika’s previous seat. She chatters on uninterrupted, even as she raises the half-empty bottle of sake where, she’s been previously informed, the crystal will be.

As she swishes the liquid in the bottle, Rangiku confirms this fact and smiles. She takes a full swing of alcohol, much to her companions’ shock, but Rangiku is aiming for something else other than getting drunk.

The small piece of crystal floats into her mouth and she stuffs it between her cheek and teeth while she waits for the opportunity to spit it out. A quick distraction later, the woman has the Outsukama stuffed into a napkin inside her bra.

Pleased with herself, Rangiku smirks and clinks her glass with Iba’s.

* * *

“Akon, who has the best photographic memory in this squad?”

Said man looks up from his work and to his captain, who is standing in the doorway of his lab. As per usual, the man forwards no other explanation, though the expression on his face shows that he is not necessarily amused by the situation.

Akon takes a moment to consider his question.

“Rin, probably.” He answers carefully, hoping that he is not condemning his colleague to a painful death. “Why do you ask, captain?”

“Send Rin to the fifth division right now.” Mayuri’s fingers tap a mindless on the hilt of his zanpakuto. “He will have to memorize a book for me until tomorrow. Tell him to be back here at ten.”

Hesitating for only a second, the lieutenant nods and watches his captain leave before he picks up the internal phone line of the R&D department.

“Rin, you got a mission from the captain Kurotsuchi.”

_And I wish you good luck, you poor bastard._

* * *

Shinji kicks back his feet and crosses his arms, resolved to wait.

His office is large and devoid of anything but a desk, the chair on which he sits on and a bookcase housing the official documents that don’t get sent off somewhere else.

The fifth division captain looks to the door and counts down the seconds, tapping his fingers on the desktop. There is a nice breeze coming from the open window behind him and he decides that after this is over, he will take a long, nice walk around the Seiretei to clear his mind and prepare for the next step in the plan.

“Is this really going to work, Shinji?”

Mashiro’s head pops out from under the windowsill and successfully scares the life out of Shinji. He turns around with a large scowl, but Mashiro blinks back innocently while she dangles off the sill.

“What the hell are you doing there?!” Shinji hisses at her and glances around, as if someone could have entered the office without him noticing.

The ninth squad lieutenant tilts her head in confusion, but she answers nonetheless.

“I wanted to come visit and ask you how it’s going but Kensei told me that I should stay away from this mess.” The girl swings her feet behind her, and Shinji is getting a headache. Mashiro grins insolently, and Shinji cuts her off because the conclusion is obvious.

“But you did whatever you wanted anyway.” The man rubs his forehead and shakes his head.

A short pause follows before Mashiro pokes and prods again.

“So?”

Shinji sighs and silently checks if there is any stray spiritual pressure in the near vicinity. Thankfully, he finds none, though that does not mean that he won’t be extremely evasive.

“It is, don’t worry.”

“Oh. Who are you waiting for?”

“A friend.”

“You have friends?”

“Idiot! Aren’t we friends?”

“Hmm.”

Shinji’s fist lands loudly on his desk and Mashiro giggles and dashes away without any further comment. The captain is left in the dust, filled with confusion by the strange and unproductive conversation, but just then a knock sounds at the door.

“Captain Hirako?” The voice of a man filters in and the third seat announces that an officer from the twelfth division is here for a meeting.

Shinji grins widely.

“Ah, another one who wishes to join my squad! Come on in.”

* * *

Rangiku pushes the door to the Shinigami women’s association headquarters closed with her foot. With a loud sigh, she drops down on the only available couch.

The room is, as of yet, empty but more people are going to be coming soon for their weekly meeting. The lieutenant is thoroughly exhausted from the full day she had, and it mostly has to do with the small crystal currently nestled in her bosom. There is something unnatural about it that she does not like.

It’s almost like it sucks all the energy out of her but that is ridiculous, isn’t it?

She shakes her head and stretches, trying to relax until the others arrive.

It takes no more than fifteen minutes before the door opens again, but it is not Nanao, who is usually the earliest one to arrive.

Usually.

Today is the exception for both Rangiku and, as her instructions stated, Torue of the SRDI.

The tenth division lieutenant swings her feet over the edge of the couch and makes to stand up, but Torue holds up a hand, signaling that she can sit. Rangiku watches Torue take a seat on the couch as well, gently holding a cup of coffee.

“How are you today, Rangiku-san?”

Her tone is casual, as if they are good friends even though Rangiku has barely had two whole conversations with the woman before today. Nevertheless, at the moment they are in the same mess together, so she might as well make the best of it with people who can understand what she’s talking about.

“Tired, but I’ve had a full day.” Rangiku responds somewhat gruffly.

Torue hums under her breath.

“Yes, I’m sure that you did.” She makes to take a sip of her drink, but falters suddenly and some coffee spills over the edge and onto her uniform. “Oh, my.”

Rangiku acts out of reflex as she reaches out a steadying hand for the cup.

“You need a napkin asap!”

Just after she finishes her sentence does she realize what, exactly, Torue’s aim is.

_Sneaky, sneaky woman._

Rangiku is silently impressed.

Outwardly, she smiles kindly and takes the crystal-holding napkin out of her bra. “There you go. You are lucky I always carry one with me.”

Torue’s lips curve up into a small smirk as she accepts the folded napkin.

“Why, thank you, Rangiku-san. You are very kind indeed.”

First Torue dabs at her mouth, making sure that the crystal falls into her coffee before she pushes the lip closed and tries to order the mess on her clothes.

“Less and less these days, but I’m trying my best.” Rangiku exhales and pushes the box of napkins on the coffee table closer to Torue.

“What’s going on here?”

They both look up at Nanao, who stands in the doorway with a confused expression on her face. The first division lieutenant checks the time and then looks at the both of them again, as if she cannot quite believe that they got here before her.

“We were just having a friendly chat before Torue-san spilled coffee on herself.” Rangiku feigns a small giggle and Torue grimaces at the state of her clothes.

“I think that I will return to my room to change.” The lieutenant applauds her impeccable plan of escape and she watches as Torue throws Nanao a disheartened look. “Would it be any problem if I skip today’s meeting, vice-president?”

At least Nanao has mercy because she nods with a sympathetic twist to her lips.

“Of course, Torue-san. We will update you next week.”

With that, Nanao walks to the back of the room to deposit the files she brought with her.

Torue gathers the used napkins along with her coffee cup, throws Rangiku one quick wink over her shoulder and glides to the exit.

Rangiku leans back in her seat and tries to settle on how she feels now that her role in the first step of the plan is over. It is a long process, but at least she has a whole boring meeting to decide.

* * *

Next morning, at ten on the dot, Rin pushes open the doors to Mayuri’s office, breathing harshly and leaning his hands on his knees.

“Well then?” The scientist prompts, never taking his eyes off the small piece of crystal that Torue brought last evening, sitting on a pedestal and covered by a glass dome. Several tubes go in and out of the covering lid, some with glowing substances inside and some vibrating with electricity.

Rin catches his breath just in time to properly answer his captain.

“I did it, captain.”

And shit if he wasn’t almost late. It was a race against the clock and captain Hirako didn’t make it any easier for him, but Rin pushed through mostly out of fear of what captain Kurotsuchi would do to him if he comes back without perfect results.

Mayuri turns to his subordinate and grins widely. “Good! Then we can begin.”

He gestures to Rin to enter the room. The young man also spots Akon sitting at a table in a shadowed corner.

Mayuri turns back to the crystal while Rin’s briefing is taken over by Akon.

“Time to apply what you’ve learned.” The lieutenant says almost jokingly. He slides an empty notebook under Rin’s nose.

The young man sighs but picks up the pen and starts writing everything he memorized the night before. It will be a while, but the captain has a new object to obsess over and this gives them sometime before he starts demanding the contents of the arcane book from them.

* * *

Hirako hands over the book to Toshiro that same morning. The younger captain has dark circles under his eyes that make Shinji’s eyebrows rise, but he abstains from commenting.

“Is everything in order?”

“My guess is yes.” Shinji answers with a shrug. “From my point of view, nothing happened. I’m telling ya, they were too paranoid. No one figured it out.”

“Better to be paranoid than to give ourselves up right from the beginning. Besides, I expected nothing else out of _him._ ” Toshiro’s lips pull back into a snarl. He gathers the book carefully and Shinji certainly does not envy him right now. Maneuvering through the Seiretei and all the way back to the Shiba archive is headache-inducing material.

Shinji sighs and leans his head in his palm. He is always tired and unwilling to be reminded of the continued existence – and freedom! – of his ex-lieutenant. Momo is a fruitcake next to that unpredictable little fucker Sosuke.

“I guess. I’m glad it’s over.”

The expression that comes over Toshiro’s face is one Shinji has never expected to see on him. It makes for a strange, unsettling sight.

“Don’t relax yet, captain Hirako. This is just the beginning.”

* * *

**4 days later**

* * *

“I refuse to accept this!”

Most people gathered around the kitchen table flinch back when Keigo’s fist slams on the poor surface.

“Yeah! You tell them, son!” Don Kanonji raises his fist to the skies and splatters maple syrup everywhere with the fork clenched in his hand.

Tatsuki rolls her eyes at the oldest idiot and then smacks the most dramatic idiot over the head.

“As much as I don’t like it, Keigo’s right.” The young woman closes her eyes with a sigh.

Orihime, Uryuu and Chad hold crucial positions in the making and putting this plan into motion, but the so-dubbed ‘Karakura gang’ is, once again, left to the side.

“Then why did you hit me?!”

“And what do you propose we do?” Mizuiro asks mildly, eyes never straying away from the screen of his phone.

To the various onlookers around the room, he must seem unconcerned, even bored, but Tatsuki knows that is not the case. He is just better at hiding it than the rest of them.

Unfortunately, Tatsuki has no answer, though there is no need for one because Keigo jumps at the chance.

“We should storm in there and-“

“There will be no storming anywhere.”

Every person gathered around the table turns to look towards Hitsugaya Toshiro, the small kid who announced himself as a captain when Yuzu opened the door less than two hours ago. Surprisingly, Karin seemed to have met him before, and yet she’s been keeping silent since he arrived at the Kurosaki household earlier that morning. And ever since, he’s been propped up on the sill near the living room window, looking outside.

The soul reaper looks like a proper middle school boy, though his serious and uptight decorum denote him as anything but. And it is obvious from a mile away that Toshiro is a dangerous person to be around.

Though not as dangerous as the other person in the house, sitting calmly on the couch and sipping from a cup of tea that Yuzu brought him with shaking hands.

“I do agree with captain Hitsugaya. Storming in would be counterproductive.”

For the first time since both soul reapers arrived, Karin’s expression diverges from her blank look and fills with anger. First, she throws a glare in Aizen’s direction before she turns her eyes to Toshiro. Not surprisingly, he is already watching her.

“Why not, huh?”

Karin is aware that she is only asking this because she’s frustrated with their powerlessness. She thought that what steps she’s been taking to counter exactly this particular situation would be enough, but as it turns out they aren’t and will never be. It seems like her brother likes to get into more and more impossibly complicated problems, and yet his spiritually aware friends are always there to mitigate the outcome.

Why can they when the Karakura gang and Karin cannot?

“And why is he in our house again?”

“Good question! The last time we saw him, he was trying his best to kill us.” Tatsuki crosses her arms over her chest and throws at Aizen an impressive amount of animosity.

But the man is unaffected, if only slightly amused by their words.

“Believe me,” he sips his beverage calmly, “if I had really tried my best, you would all be dead now. And from what I remember, you threw a bomb at my head in return.”

A collective of black glares is sent towards the madman.

“Technically, it was a Molotov cocktail but whatever.” Mizuiro cheerily corrects their former would-be killer.

This time, a muscle above Toshiro’s eyebrow twitches and Karin understands that the captain is less happy about the situation than they are.

Aizen ignores both Tatsuki and Mizuiro and instead turns to the older twin.

“You shouldn’t speak about your guests like that, Kurosaki Karin.” The man admonishes even as he barely looks repentant from his seat on the couch.

Karin is one syllable away from telling him to fuck off, and Toshiro must sense it because he intervenes.

“People were getting suspicious, so we had to bring him back here for a while. Since Shihouin Yoruichi wasn’t present at the shop, I now have the honor of babysitting him until we can go back.” By the end of his explanation, Toshiro speaks each word through clenched teeth. He will have a serious talk with Yoruichi when she gets back from wherever she is now.

Someone kicks the door open and everyone turns to watch as Renji strides into the room, arms filled with a heavy collection of hardcovers. Uryuu walks in behind him, carrying a similar load and muttering about proper manners when visiting people’s houses.

“Here’s your damn books.” The sixth division lieutenant drops the load on the coffee table in front of the sofa, making it creak precariously. He also throws Aizen a dark glare, just in case the man forgot that Renji hated him very much.

Uryuu is much gentler with the antique books in his care, but he also keeps his guard up in case Aizen decides to try anything funny. They never really learned how to relax around the madman and the Quincy doubts that it will happen any sooner than the next five thousand years or so.

“Heyyy, you guys!” Keigo waves enthusiastically and Tatsuki is struck with confusion for a moment too long and she sees it coming much too late. “Now that you’re here, you can take us back with you!”

Hands on his hips, Renji turns around and raises an eyebrow in Keigo’s direction.

“Take you where?”

Don Kanonji strikes a pose. “To the Soul Society, of course my boy!”

Renji exchanges a quick look with Uryuu, though Tatsuki can see a whole conversation going on between the two in those three seconds. For some reason, her temper flares and her fists clench.

“What is Don Kanonji doing here anyway?” Uryuu asks unhelpfully.

Mizuiro shrugs. “He turned up randomly and Yuzu offered him pancakes. Now we’re stuck with him.”

The showman offers a thumb up at Mizuiro’s less than flattering explanation. Uryuu touches his forehead in an attempt to stave off a sudden headache.

“’Fraid that we cannot do that.” Renji mumbles before he ambles over to the table and plucks a grape off Kanonji’s plate.

Tatsuki frowns and asks. “And why not?”

But any answer that Renji gives will make Tatsuki attack him, so Uryuu takes it upon himself to somewhat curb the problem from its starting point.

“Because it is very dangerous and there are already way too many people involved.”

“But we can’t just stay here-!”

“There is nothing else for you to do, unfortunately.” Toshiro adds and it seems to be the cherry on the cake for Karin.

She stands up suddenly, making the dishes on the table clatter.

“This is such bullshit!”

Without preamble, she strides out of the kitchen. Ten seconds later, a door bangs shut.

“Karin-chan!” Yuzu makes to go after her sister, but Toshiro somehow teleports right next to her and stops the girl with a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s my fault.” The captain admits, though inwardly he should have seen it coming. “Let me deal with it.”

Yuzu nods hesitantly and takes Karin’s former seat at the table.

“Karin is right, and you know it!” Tatsuki announces with a scowl and Uryuu sighs.

“I know, but please try to understand things from our point of view as well.”

“Yes, yes, we are powerless and effectively useless.” The young woman’s scowl deepens and a bead of sweat accumulates on Uryuu’s brow.

That was not what he wanted to imply and the last thing he needs is for _Orihime_ to hear that Uryuu unintentionally called her best friend _useless_.

“But that does not mean that we do not want to help Ichigo.” Mizuiro finishes when Tatsuki seems too angry to do it herself.

“Yeah!”

Don Kanonji swallows a mouthful of chocolate chip pancake.

“Indeed! I refuse to let one of my biggest fans to such an awful fate!”

Tatsuki nods tightly.

Aizen is about to open his mouth to speak, but then a high voice shouts from the direction of the window.

“Man, you guys should stop daydreaming already, you know?”

Everyone looks over there, but they find no one.

“Where are you looking? I’m down here, you idiots!”

Eight gazes fall to the floor.

If Kon would have eyebrows, they would be raised condescendingly.

“ _Whoah_ , what the hell is that?!” Tatsuki almost takes a step back in shock.

“Mister Boss Tuff!” Yuzu rises from her chair, jaw hanging open and eyes wide at the notion that her stuffed animal is talking.

“That’s its name?!” Keigo exclaims at her reflexively before turning back to Kon, who is still somehow upright and _moving_. “How’s that thing talking?!”

Kon jumps on the table with a shout. “Screw you man!” And promptly kicks the young man’s head.

“My boy! I like your new appearance, _bwahaha_!”

Paradoxically, don Kanonji is barely moved by the surreal event.

“Nice to see you too, old man!” Kon salutes before he turns back to the four who still have got to get used to his unnatural appearance. “And my name’s Kon, by the way. Not Boss Tuff!”

Yuzu lands in her chair with a thud, still overwhelmed by Kon’s liveliness.

“What, exactly,” Mizuiro leans forward, as close to Kon as he dares, “are you?”

“He’s a modified soul.” Renji answers casually and pokes Kon for good measure, much to the stuffed toy’s irritation.

“Stop it, you bastard!”

“What’s a modified soul?” Keigo tries the words out with a grimace.

“Basically, they are artificially created souls made by the Soul Society.” Uryuu explains easily as he, too, approaches the table. “They were designed to be enhanced humans able to kill Hollows like the Shinigami, but in the end, the project was scrapped and almost all of the souls were destroyed. Kon is the only one that wasn’t.”

“Oi, Uryuu. Can I ask you to help me with this?” Kon points to a deep cut on his back and Uryuu pushes his glasses further up his nose and nods quietly.

Tatsuki takes a moment to absorb this. “So he doesn’t have a body then?” She asks tentatively.

“No, but he inhabits Ichigo’s body sometimes.” Renji cracks a grin, though it’s half-hearted. “So, if you think he’s acting strange, it’s probably Kon.”

“Hey!” Kon wriggles in Uryuu’s grasp and the Quincy frowns.

“Stop that if you want it sewed back properly.”

The stuffed animal deflates and goes lax in his grip. “Sorry.”

Tatsuki shakes her head slowly. “This is not the creepiest thing I’ve seen by far, but it still feels surreal to me.”

“Kon,” Yuzu’s soft voice comes along with a tentative smile and Kon looks up, beady eyes training on her uncertain expression, “it is nice to meet you. But why didn’t you say anything until now?”

“Didn’t really want to give myself up, you know? But I didn’t mind our playdates, Yuzu!”

The teenage girl nods hesitantly.

“And why are you here, Kon?” Mizuiro seems to be the only one that took Kon’s sudden appearance in stride.

Kon crosses his puffy arms over his small chest.

“’Cause I couldn’t stand you people arguing anymore. Listen here,” he points a small claw at the four humans who still insist on going to the spirit world, “the Soul Society isn’t a nice place to be, especially when you are about to become the enemy of its government. These crazy idiots are about to get themselves killed and trust me, you don’t wanna be there when that happens.”

Suddenly, the stuffed animal’s expression melts from somber to delighted.

“Well, all of them besides my precious nee-chan! As usual, she is incredible and her idea was amazing, that stupid Ichigo better be thankful for her efforts!”

Tatsuki, Mizuiro, Keigo and Don Kanonji look up to both Uryuu and Renji, whose lips are pursed and shoulders are tense.

But then the lieutenant shrugs it off and puts his clenched fists in his pockets.

“He’s not wrong. Shit is going to go down and we don’t know what the consequences will be. Rukia doesn’t care anymore, but I can’t really say the same about me. In any case,” the lieutenant shrugs again, “it’s better not to be in the way of half a dozen angry captains.”

In the resulting silence, Uryuu places Kon back down on the top of the table. Aizen takes this as an opportunity and opens his mouth to make his point, but the Quincy cuts him off before he can even begin.

“I am not concerned about what the upper echelons of the soul reapers think about me, but what I am worried about is the fight that is about to begin. We’ve known these people for long enough to understand that it will not be an easy fight.” He pushes his glasses up on his nose and awards Kon with a raised eyebrow. “You _do_ know that Orihime is also involved in this plan, right?”

Impossibly, Kon’s stuffed face loses a few shades of color and he starts to yell unintelligible things and wave his arms wildly.

“But…” Keigo starts again, but his energy from earlier is gone and no argument comes forth.

Tatsuki’s hands are once more clenched into fists while Mizuiro simply purses his lips and places his phone on the table. Yuzu looks one bad revelation away from crying.

Being the only one in the room not particularly invested in the situation, nor interested in their hurt feelings and whatnot, Aizen sighs quietly. He can honestly care less at this moment about all this melodrama, but he does hold a grudge against the soul reapers, and it isn’t like he wasn’t extremely bored in his eternal exile. The plan these people came up with proved to be interesting enough to make his time better spent.

What can the Gotei 13 do to do him anymore? Strap him back in the Muken?

Unlikely.

Aizen is like a ticking bomb.

They are better off with keeping him in the Gensei. The coup de grace and their only salvation is the very traceable, very restrictive gigai that bastard Urahara invented before he kicked the bucket. Aizen’s powers have been thoroughly sealed away and his spiritual energy is all but zero, not to mention his Kido and zanpakuto. They transformed him into a proper human with a half-completed gigai that simply refuses to come off.

Death might have been the sweeter option, but they refused to give it to him.

And now, Aizen will take his time to get the nastiest revenge one could get while being basically useless. But that is immaterial – he already has many, _many_ new pawns to use.

Unfortunately for the Karakura gang, they are not part of the collection, but that does not mean that they will be completely useless. Kurosaki Ichigo and company will be much more malleable with a few human friends around to uplift the morale.

In spirit of this, Aizen opens his mouth for the third time in the span of the last ten minutes and wastes no time in speaking.

“There is no need for you four to go to the Soul Society.” Four pairs of eyes turn to glare at him and Aizen’s half-smirk widens. “You will be needed here more, after all.”

He can easily sense when the mood in the room shifts a degree more in his favor. Now that he has their attention, he continues.

“Until we free their older brother, your task is to protect Kurosaki Karin and Yuzu. Kurosaki Ichigo will most likely stay in a coma until his spiritual levels return to a semblance of normal. For that reason, following his rescue, he will be brought directly to Hueco Mundo, a place that thrives in reishi. It is uncertain how long he will have to stay there, but Kurosaki Isshin might be caught up there for far longer than he anticipated. And after Ichigo opens his eyes, he will need help from all of you to return to what he has left behind.”

Aizen finishes his speech and sends a self-satisfied smile to both Uryuu and Renji. The sixth division lieutenant shoots him a dirty look, but Ishida Uryuu is well-mannered and better capable of observing the situation from more than one point of view. Consequently, the Quincy offers an infinitesimally small nod of approval and Aizen leans back in his comfortable seat and finishes the rest of his cold tea.

Yuzu glances from the peculiar man on the couch to Ichigo’s friends, wondering what their answer will be. Tatsuki looks like she wants to say something, but she is thorn and Yuzu understands that what affects the woman the most is her inability to do something to help Ichigo. But what Aizen said seems to have somewhat helped her put things into perspective.

Keigo looks similarly thoughtful about Aizen’s words. His frustration pours out of him in waves, but Ichigo’s world has long been very different from theirs and Keigo still struggles to accept that. He cannot imagine himself sharing that world – not yet at least – but he is willing to put himself out there and try his best for his friend’s sake. Ichigo saved their asses so many times that he feels eternally indebted to him. So, if there is one little thing, no matter how small, he will do it for Ichigo’s sake.

Mizuiro catches Keigo nod to himself.

His friend’s face is set into a resolved expression and Mizuiro smiles slightly. As for himself, he doesn’t trust that man Aizen one bit, but he understands what he is trying to achieve here. After all, they will only be deadweight to lug around and useless on a real battlefield.

Mizuiro is hardly fond of fighting to death anyway, so he grudgingly accepts the way out and the mission they’ve been given. This, they can and will do no matter what. Protecting Ichigo’s sisters is tantamount to maybe one of the greatest tasks, especially because they are ninety percent of Ichigo’s world.

“Your words are full of bullshit,” Mizuiro cannot resist the jab he throws at Aizen anyway. He turns a bright fake smile on the man, and he finds satisfaction in the slight surprise he catches in the madman’s eyes, “but I will accept them. Mostly because you are kind of right. Karin and Yuzu need someone to look after them until their father and brother are back.”

Then he picks up his phone again and starts tapping a message.

There is a short silence before Keigo starts to snicker and Tatsuki smirks at Aizen, much to the man’s displeasure.

Kon huffs but nods to himself and declares that he will also stay there to watch over the sisters.

“Then it’s settled!” Don Kanonji proclaims and laughs loudly, much to the exasperation of practically everyone. “I will see with my agent, maybe I can arrange for a tour of our set soon.” He rubs his chin thoughtfully and Yuzu’s eyes shine.

Uryuu smiles at the group and nods again then turns to Renji and Kon with a question.

“Maybe Kon can have Ichigo’s body? I think it would be more effective than being stuck in a plush toy when danger comes.”

Kon twitches, not exalted by the thought of fighting, but he promised to protect the Kurosaki sisters and he will keep his promise no matter what. So, he agrees loudly with Uryuu and jumps up and down until Renji drags Ichigo’s inert body out of the closet under the stairs that it was stuck in.

“You mean his body was in there the whole time?!” Tatsuki screeches in accusation.

Uryuu, Kon and Renji all shrug, as if stuffing a _mostly_ dead body in the family closet is normal. But maybe in their world, it is.

Yuzu seems less horrified than the Karakura gang, but that is probably because she was kind of expecting it. With a sigh, the young girl looks to the ceiling and silently asks the world when her family is going to be complete again.

* * *

Karin paces back and forth angrily, trying to shake off the feeling of betrayal that keeps grating at her insides. She’s completed her sixth tour when Toshiro enters the room after her, quiet as a ghost. Which he should not be able to do, not when he wears a gigai.

The boy watches her with those cold eyes that can usually freeze her in place and Karin grits her teeth, trying her best not to give into the need to punch him. It will accomplish her nothing and, worse, she will feel extremely bad after the deed is done.

“This is…” Toshiro trails off, gaze flitting about the clean room.

“My brother’s room, yeah.” Karin agrees, also taking a look around as if she hasn’t seen this room a million times in the past few months. She and Yuzu have been in here more often than they stayed in their own room since Ichigo was captured by the Soul Society.

The thought brings her earlier anger back and she bites her lip as her fists clench at her sides.

“I was simply trying to stop you from doing something stupid.” Toshiro says quietly, a useless explanation for his earlier actions and Karin can feel it when his gaze settles on her form again.

“Then what’s all this for?” Karin looks down at her clenched hands. Scars and blood-crusted wounds pepper the skin over her fingers and her palms. There are paper thin scratches on the back of her hands and her forearms bear enough burns from failed attempts to make a real Quincy bow work. “I’ve been training for these powers and now you’re telling me that I can’t use them to save my _brother_!”

Her voice rises in a half-shout, but Toshiro doesn’t even flinch. His eyes are fixed on her hands and Karin wants to hide them behind her back, but she resolutely refuses to fall into that hopeless feeling. She is proud of what she’s fighting to achieve and of these powers that she found out she can wield.

She is no soul reaper like her older brother.

A small part of her was afraid that her father would be disappointed, but Kurosaki Isshin is unpredictable enough to overcome even his daughter’s expectations. The man was positively ecstatic and promptly brought Karin – and Yuzu, but only because she was also very excited for her sister – to Ishida Ryuuken’s office in the Karakura Hospital and asked him to train her.

Which the man promptly refused, but her father is nothing if not insistent and, in the end, Karin was taken under Ryuuken’s unmerciful wing for Quincy training. She is grateful that, more often than not, Ryuuken has no time for her and Uryuu has primly agreed to pick up his father’s slack and help her.

 _Her_ somehow-cousin _, if you can believe that. Karin certainly couldn’t make peace with the notion, not at first. She’s never had cousins before, but now she faces not one, but_ three _, if her stupid father is to be believed when he said that she has two more in the Soul Society. Isshin was promptly awarded a fist to the face for never sharing that particular secret._

Uryuu is a much nicer teacher than his father, though Karin can spot the differences between their approaches. Ryuuken has experience but he also has a lot of theoretical knowledge. Uryuu, on the other hand, has a _lot_ more battle experience, but he lacks in many of the deep theoretical aspects. Both of her teachers bring the knowledge towards a balance of sorts, and Karin does her best to follow both of their directions.

Since the moment she discovered her powers, she made a promise with herself that she will succeed in mastering them no matter what. Karin doesn’t want to be a person who constantly needs to be protected – it is high time that she takes her turn and protects people. She absolutely refuses to let Ichigo carry everything on his shoulders again.

Look where he ended up when they let him.

Telling Toshiro, long after the discovery, was a tad harder to do though. Karin has been made aware since her first conversation with Ryuuken that there is bad blood between the soul reapers and Quincies. And the last war did not help things in the least.

Karin had balked at the details. She still cannot believe that there was a full out war between the Soul Society and an army of Quincies that resulted in the world almost being destroyed, and her brother being imprisoned, forced to become the Soul King.

She also felt betrayed that the Quincies decided to become the invaders and the bad guys, but then she thought of how Uryuu must have felt like. The story of how he actually handled the situation didn’t help much, but her cousin was more chagrined than resentful about it.

In retrospect, Toshiro took it better than Karin had expected. She can easily say that the first time they’ve seen each other in two years passed with less yelling than Karin thought, which was actually quite nice since the last thing she had wanted is to have Toshiro declare that they cannot be friends anymore because she is a Quincy now. 

“Ishida Uryuu has been training with his powers since he was old enough to walk.” Toshiro points out. “You’ve been training for maybe half a year. You are in no way ready for a real battlefield.”

Karin really feels the need to punch him now, but then he does that thing again where he crosses his arms and his head falls slightly to the side, as if in consideration. There’s a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth and the sight of it cuts Karin’s irritation short.

“I’ll admit that you’re further along than anyone expected, so I think you’ll have no problems keeping everyone here safe until your brother comes back.”

Heat climbs to her cheeks at the compliment and she wonders if she should say something, but Toshiro’s face grows serious again, so Karin bites her tongue and lets him continue.

“I’m not very sure if your brother will ever want to be a Shinigami again, so don’t stop training. Someone in your family needs to be at the top of their game permanently.”

Despite the serious discussion, Karin scoffs. It serves to snap Toshiro out of his despondent funk.

“I doubt that Ichi-nii will ever give up being a Shinigami. He loves it too much. Besides, Rukia is one too, and there’s no way he’s giving that up if she continues to be one.”

Toshiro raises a challenging eyebrow at her words.

“I kind of doubt that Kuchiki will stay a soldier after this.” The boy muses. “So I wouldn’t stake much on that theory of yours.”

Karin sighs and her shoulders droop as the fight and the anger finally trickle out of her. She sits down on the bed and stares at her red stripped socks. The mattress dips with a second weight and Karin counts to ten before she gathers the courage to ask.

“What about you? Are you going to be able to stay a soldier after this is over?”

Toshiro hums as he thinks over his answer.

“I would say yes, but I wouldn’t bet on it. At the end of the day, there will be enough captains and high-ranking officers involved to give the captain commander a headache. Maybe he will decide to forget.”

“Not forgive?” Karin asks just to tease, but Toshiro’s lips press tightly against one another and her heart clenches inside her chest.

“Never.”

The word echoes in the silence of the small room and stands between them like a death toll.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here comes my favorite part when i make them be all sneaky sneaky;  
> on another note, poor karakura gang ;-;


	9. Free Fall

* * *

**_Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:_ ** _"_ _The original Gotei 13 that you established were 'defenders' in name only. They were nothing less than a brutal mob of killers. But that is precisely why they were a force to be feared. [...] You used whatever means available to defeat your enemies, and the deaths of others, even your own subordinates, carried no more weight to you than a speck of ash."_

* * *

Rukia’s steps are light as she walks through the cold hallways of the palace. She barely makes a sound as she advances, yet she is aware that Reihachi is somewhere behind her, watching.

He’s never really trusted her to begin with, Rukia is certain of that.

And then the incident of last week happened and she is sure that the man will forever be on her tail from now on.

Until she beats it out of him, that is.

Rukia will make sure to assign someone else as her personal guard because having Reihachi constantly breathing down her neck will not allow her to execute any part of the plan that remains.

Granted, there isn’t much for her left to do.

She’s been here for over two months and in less than a week, she will get out of this cold, impersonal place with Ichigo in tow and never return.

But until then, she feels the incessant need to get out of Reihachi’s clutches, even if only for a little bit.

The doors to the King’s room are heavy but they glide open easily under her hands. There are two guards stationed outside and they’ve been there since _the incident_ , though Rukia hardly has any need of doing some more damage to the Outsukama. Her mission has already been accomplished and she is certain no one thought that it really would.

 _She_ didn’t think that she could do it either.

The crystal that imprisons Ichigo should be virtually untouchable. No outside force of however strong blast of reiatsu should be able to damage it. Yhwach did it, but he is the exception to the rule. And yet she managed it as well, with a single kido spell, a swing of her zanpakuto and a whole lot of reiatsu behind her.

She was only able to break off a single piece, but even that small fragment left in its wake a shockwave that was felt throughout the whole royal dimension.

Rukia had to offer a few rushed explanations, but they seemed to buy them. All officers but Reihachi, that is. Since then, the man has been more suspicious of her than ever before.

But he is not allowed to enter the King’s room without her explicit permission and Rukia is a long way away from granting him that particular request. So, he rests at the doors with the guards he appointed, fuming and most certainly relaying to them a new set of orders that Rukia will immediately belay. However much Reihachi detests it, he is hardly at the top of the chain of command here.

As captain, she has the final say in who goes where. And Rukia just loves screwing with Reihachi’s well thought-out plans until he will learn his lesson.

The massive doors swing shut behind her and she breathes a sigh of relief as her feet guide her further inside.

Ichigo sits still and quiet. Many months ago, the sight would have been eerie and the silence would have eaten at her, but nowadays, she finds a strange sentiment of peacefulness when she is this near to him.

Maybe Rukia is becoming complacent, but in no way will she ever entertain the thought of abandoning the plan. If anything, her stay in the royal dimension only further cemented the need to get Ichigo out of here.

Rukia has been filling up her time however she can, reading whatever official documents she could get her hands on. There aren’t many records up here in the royal dimension, but what small amount there is contains ancient data that cannot be found anywhere else.

The Kuchiki clan was tasked with guarding the bulk of the material regarding Soul Society’s history, but some records were left behind, probably because of the sensitive information they contain.

She gave them a quick read, on quiet afternoons when there wasn’t much to do other than cater to Reihachi and his squad of goons, which she was quickly getting sick of. Her trust in Onras and his men to complete the reconstruction of the city left her with a lot of free time. Rukia usually holed up in the King’s room, leafing through antiqued sheaves of paper that detail what’s been happening since the beginning of time.

The language is old, and the level of details is not stellar, but Rukia can also read between the lines.

It was enough to get the main idea.

She suspected it, deep inside the recesses of her mind, but she didn’t want to accept it until now, because that means going against everything she has ever believed in. It means going against her ideologies and her beliefs and against many, _many_ people.

After the initial shock wore off, Rukia took a mental step back and tried to look at things from a point of view that was unobstructed by such biases. What she found was enough to make her sick to her stomach.

She quickly realized that those ideologies weren’t really hers to begin with – they were obtained in the short years she’s been in the academy and then further on when she joined the Gotei 13. The same goes with the beliefs she’s been clinging on to so much, strange and unclear things, not to mention never properly explained, but always demanding that they be followed.

And the people – there are those who are precious to her and shall remain so, even indoctrinated as they are. But there are so many more inside the Seiretei that are virtually unsavable because, not only will they not listen to reason, they will certainly not listen to anyone but the captain commander.

Rukia wonders if captain Kyoraku is aware of this, or if he is as brainwashed as the rest of them.

Now that some time passed since the revelation, Rukia can analyze things much more easily. She can spot where things become blurry and when the red flags are flying high.

The truth is – she should have left the Seiretei as soon as she was pretty sure that she wasn’t going to be executed anymore.

Hell, she should have simply _left_ the Soul Society, whenever the possibility presented itself.

It was staggering how she simply accepted to stay behind, to live and work again in a place where the upper echelons had condemned her to die.

The law paled in comparison to things like duty, loyalty and to being a good soul reaper. Rukia barely cared who had wanted her dead seven days before, she forged ahead and got back into the ranks, and yet she remained a spotted pawn to the end. If she had felt out of place before, after her failed execution the feeling returned tenfold and yet she stubbornly pushed it down and trudged ahead, because that is what she thought was expected out of her.

Rukia is unsure if her older brother is aware of how many unconscious things he does and thinks, and she is rather afraid to open up that discussion. But now that things are rapidly coming to a head, there is nothing else to do but talk about it, especially after everything she read.

She is not stupid enough to believe that something can be done about the level of corruption inside the Seiretei. The Soul Society as a whole suffers, but maybe things in Rukongai can be alleviated somewhat. A tremendous amount of effort will be needed, but it isn’t like Rukia will have much to do for the rest of eternity.

There is no chance of going back to be a soul reaper – not after the things she found out and not after the things she will do. The Seiretei holds nothing more for her and only her attachment to her older brother and to Renji stops her from truly screwing up all her avenues of dialogue with the Gotei 13.

Staying in the Gensei is a given, but not until the end of time. At some point or the other, Rukia will have to return to the Soul Society and when that happens, she will make sure to stay as far away as possible from the white walls that engulf the center of the spirit world in its own indestructible bubble.

“Inuzuri it is then.” Rukia mutters as she slowly comes to a stop right in front of the crystal and Ichigo. She cranes her neck so that she can take a look at his face. It is set into stone as it always has been these past eight months.

With a sigh, she takes a step to the side and leans forward, inspecting the small crater left behind by the fragment of crystal that fell away. The shape is almost circular in form, and it is practically invisible save for a slim crack that slithers away from the destroyed area and quickly disappears into the larger mass of the crystal. If not for that surprising aftershock, Rukia would have gotten away free of suspicion.

She shakes her head slightly and straightens up, returning to her place in front of Ichigo.

“You are not the Soul King,” Rukia begins after a long pause, during which she stared holes right in his unseeing eyes. Her voice cracks but here, at the end of the world, she finds that she does not care, “I know that for sure. You’d hate it and you’d scowl and shout so loud that my ears would ring, y-you _fool_.”

The last word is more of a sob that slithers past her defenses. Rukia’s knees crumble at the same time that her heart breaks again. Tears slip from the corners of her eyes and she reaches out a hand to steady herself, if only not to have to fall on the merciless, cold granite stand.

She swears to herself that this is the last time she will ever let herself wallow in pity, just as it is the last time when she ever wails out his name like this.

“ _Ichigo._ ”

* * *

It takes him longer than he remembers to come back to himself and wake up, but then again, his brain didn’t usually make any detours on the way between the two.

Ichigo is unsure of the reason, and is honestly afraid to find out _why_ , but he is suddenly back in the royal realm, right in the Soul King’s room. Only now, there is nothing on that pedestal and the room looks very different from the unfriendly place it was before.

He grows alarmed as soon as he sees Rukia, kneeling at the foot of the pedestal, holding one hand in the air over the platform. Her head hangs low and her shoulders shake with silent sobs. Ichigo notices that her hair is cut short, in the same style she had in the war. He frowns in confusion, unsure if what he sees is Rukia or, well, _Zangetsu’s_ version of _Rukia_.

His arm rises out of its accord anyway, but darkness crawls at the edges of his vision the further Rukia’s hand slides through the air to fall back to her side. His legs won’t move no matter how much he wills them to, and no voice comes out of his throat when he opens his mouth to shout at her.

The last thing he hears is his name, called with such a heart-wrenching amount of desperation that it tears him apart too.

Rukia’s hand returns to her side and Ichigo’s world falls away with it.

* * *

When he does wake up, Ichigo is suddenly attacked by a migraine in the form of two teenagers.

Jinta is as obnoxious as always while Ururu is his opposite in stark contrast. Their presence and their loud words accentuate Ichigo’s headache to the point where he staggers towards the door, throwing a hasty goodbye over his shoulder before stepping into the frigid night air.

Ichigo can barely remember when the seasons slipped by, but by the biting cold that coils around his exposed arms, he supposes that autumn is fast approaching.

The city is eerily deserted, and the path back home is only illuminated by the lampposts on the street. No light is on in any of the houses he passes by, so he guesses that it must be the middle of the night.

“Do those kids never sleep?” Ichigo mutters to himself, trying to feel less creepily alone. He crosses into another alleyway, hands stuffed deep inside his pockets and trying to pick his way home as his mind runs a thousand miles per minute, trying to figure out what, exactly, was _all of that_.

Urahara’s shop seems to be a hub of paranormal activity that does not boil down only to the visible and touchable. For Ichigo, the place resembles a personal purgatory – a place where his world is continuously turned upside down without mercy, rhyme or reason.

Ichigo sends a quick thought to the former owner and wonders if Urahara could have figured out this situation and send Ichigo on his correct way, though from what Zangetsu said, everything here is his own custom-made illusion world. It is a chilling thought to address when things were so bleak to begin with.

Is he really so messed up that his brain constructed this world in this way?

Ichigo shakes his head quickly as the Kurosaki clinic comes into view. He sighs in relief as he steps inside. A glance at the clock tells him that it is five in the morning and there are still two hours until his family–

 _Supposed family_ , his mind supplies in Zangetsu’s voice and Ichigo’s eyes narrow.

Whatever the case, he might get a wink of sleep if he falls asleep _now_ , but it proves to be an impossible task. Unapproachable from many points of view.

His mind still struggles to detangle his whole talk with Zangetsu and that short-haired Rukia crying and calling out his name still occupies his mind.

Ichigo soon finds himself on the roof, and he stays there looking towards the horizon and thinking about everything and nothing until the sun rises up into the sky. Pain still pulses behind his eyes, but he’s long since learned to ignore it in favor of dissecting further and further every argument and counterargument that his zanpakuto offered ever since he randomly showed up.

He cannot remember when exactly he last saw or talked with Zangetsu and Ichigo grits his teeth in frustration. The last time he _really_ remembers is that time during the war.

 _Ten years ago_.

Has it _really_ been ten years though?

The question falls flat and remains unanswered because someone tugs at Ichigo’s coat and when he turns his head, his eyes go wide and panic fills his entire being.

“K-Kazui? What the hell are you doing up here?!”

He tries his best not to yell, but here is his six-year-old son – _fake son_ , Zangetsu snarls as soon as possible – on the dangerous _roof_ of all places.

But Kazui is unconcerned about his current predicament and only claps his hands over his open mouth.

“Daddy said a bad word!”

Ichigo rolls his eyes and angles his body to face the small boy.

“How did you even get up here?”

“I jumped!” Kazui throws his hands up in the air and Ichigo catches him by the forearms immediately. Fake son or not, he’s not about to let this kid fall off the roof.

“Jumped how? It’s a big leap. And where’s your mother?”

Kazui ignores his last question because he wants to tell Ichigo everything about his feat.

“I went ‘pshhheuhhh’ and then ‘fwah’! On the roof!”

Ichigo’s eyebrows climb up on his forehead steadily. The explanation makes less sense than it did the first time around, and it must show on his face because Kazui pouts, lower lip jutting out cutely. The young boy rises to his feet, much to Ichigo’s aggravation as he struggles to keep a secure grip around him.

“Look, daddy! _Psheuh_!”

‘Psheuh’ turns out to be in the shape of a soul reaper’s shihakushou, an image that inwardly separates Ichigo into two opposing factions. On the one side, half of Ichigo declares that he was aware of such a thing and yet he cannot pinpoint the point in time when he found out. The other one promptly denies this being real and calls forth all the stuff Zangetsu said the night before.

Torn as he is, it takes him too long to react and by then, Kazui is moping on the roof tiles next to him.

“Ah, sorry Kazui! You just took me by surprise, that’s all. I should have expected that you used your soul reaper powers to get up here.” Ichigo places a hand on the boy’s head, but Kazui seems a little more affected by his lack of reaction than he usually is.

His hand falls away and rests on his son’s small shoulder, but it is not the usual material of a shihakushou that his palm encounters. The black material is so very soft and thin that it feels almost like smoke.

With furrowed brows, Ichigo ducks his head down to inspect it more closely. From a distance, it looks just like a shihakushou, but as close as he is right now, he can see that the material undulates and constantly moves. There are also small fragments that sometimes fall and float away until they disintegrate into thin air.

Ichigo’s gaze climbs on his son’s form and his eyes rest at the collar of his uniform, where the hood of his favorite yellow hoodie peeks out and drapes over his back. Kazui is wearing the hoodie under his shihakushou, but that is impossible. When you leave your body and become a soul reaper, your clothes automatically fall away with your mortal body.

And yet Kazui is wearing his hoodie underneath his uniform.

“Kazui,” Ichigo starts as a new thought occurs to him. He tries to convince himself that he does not need to know, but his mouth forms the words anyway, “where did you leave your body?”

Kazui looks up at him and frowns at the peculiar question.

“What body? You’re saying so many strange things today, daddy!”

Now that he thinks about it, Kazui simply materialized his Shinigami uniform out of thin air, right under his nose. There was no exit of the mortal body involved in this two-step process.

And this ‘shihakushou’ – it is nothing like the real one.

It is immaterial, it is smoky and it is strangely fluctuating with a kind of energy. When he opens up his senses, it almost feels like–

Ichigo feels nausea climb in the back of his throat.

 _Like_ _Yhwach’s reiatsu_.

The notion is enough to bring his whole make-believe world crash and burn to the ground.

Ichigo grabs a hold of his son and maneuvers him back into the house. When Kazui is safely deposited on the floor of his room, the man speed-walks into the main bedroom and rummages around the drawers he knows are his.

He finds his soul reaper badge under his high school diploma and a knot forms in his throat at the sight of both objects.

“Ichigo?”

He turns slowly to face Orihime, even though he doesn’t know what he can say to her.

‘Hey, you are just an illusion’ doesn’t exactly speak out to him right now, but options are as limited as his imagination is right now.

“Uh, hi.”

She frowns when she sees the badge clutched in his hand.

“You haven’t touched that since the war.”

Ichigo looks down at the innocent piece of wood and deadpans a ‘Really?!’ inside his mind very quickly.

“What are you doing with it?”

“I, uh, have to go to the Soul Society for a bit.”

Ichigo tries to wedge away but Orihime is shockingly resolute in getting the truth out of him.

“Why?” The expression on her face is unsettling, and it makes him wary more than anything else.

“I just have a quick question to ask R-uh, the soul reapers, is all.” Somehow, bringing Rukia into this conversation doesn’t seem like the best idea.

Today, Orihime proves to be uncharacteristically insistent. Her mouth is set into an uncustomary scowl and she advances, dare Ichigo say, _threateningly_ towards him.

“About what?”

Her eyes blaze and Ichigo leans back a bit, trying to get out of her range. His three-second silence makes her angrier. Ichigo doesn’t know why she’s suddenly acting like this when he cannot remember a single instance in the last ten years where she’s displayed a _sliver_ of resentment towards the Shinigami.

“About _what,_ Ichigo?”

 _Must be the crystal trying to reel you in. It senses that you are starting to figure it out and trying to escape_ , comes Zangetsu’s unhelpful explanation and Ichigo quickly shoots back a reply.

_What do I do?!_

_I dunno,_ the zanpakuto answers sullenly before he suddenly perks up. _You can_ disarm _her and be on your way!_

The way he underlines the word makes Ichigo wary of what his zanpakuto means by _disarming_.

_No way I’m doing that!_

_You don’t have a snowflakes’ chance to get out unless you take her by surprise. The crystal can make them as overpowered as they need to be in order to keep you here!_

Ichigo’s lips press together. He takes a step back in tandem with Orihime’s step forward.

“Kurosaki-kun…” The woman outrightly growls now and it is the last confirmation he needs to know that this cannot be really Orihime.

Something in the algorithm must have glitched because after supposedly ten years, she’s back to calling him that.

He needs to think fast. If Zangetsu is right, his ass is grilled if the Shun Shun Rikka come out. There is no chance this version of Orihime will spare him if he tries to leave.

“A- _ha_?!”

Orihime freezes with her mouth open and she throws him a questioning look, probably wondering about his sanity. Ichigo has the same question, but it does not stop him from continuing on with his dumb strategy.

“What was that for?”

A step back.

“What was what?”

The sunbeams filtering through the window behind him burn his shoulders. Which is strange because it was _supposed_ to be _autumn_.

“You know what. _That._ ”

He inches back slowly.

The long-haired woman tilts her head in confusion as Ichigo raises his hands and shrugs.

“Since when did you start to call me ‘Kurosaki-kun’ again?” He makes a face to add to the effect and, shockingly, Orihime’s face reddens and she’s suddenly shy and on the defensive.

In some ironic twist of fate, this illusion world’s laws still seem to make them act according to their real personalities in most cases. Ichigo has the strange feeling that he had just hit the reset button on this version of Orihime because she starts to ramble on a completely different tangent now.

“Wh-I did not!” She did, and they both know it. “It was a mistake!”

She’s trying to make amends and Ichigo hopes to find his chance in between her sputtering.

“And-And that wasn’t what I was trying to,” Orihime clears her throat and tries again. “Anyways, what I was trying to-I didn’t say ‘Kurosaki-kun’ just because it was-“

There is it – his one and only chance to get out of here. Ichigo takes a deep breath, points at Orihime and yells.

“Aha! You said it again!”

She becomes even redder, though he doesn’t know how that’s possible. But Ichigo doesn’t stay around to think about it too much. Lightning fast, he breaks through the window and falls towards the ground. Usually, this kind of fall wouldn’t do much, even to a normal human, but Ichigo cannot take the chance to fall and possibly not get up again.

He uses the badge to exit his body and doesn’t look back when he hears the crunch of bones hitting the ground. For his sake, Zangetsu better be right, because Ichigo does not intend to come back and spend six months in the hospital. With his luck, Ishida will be there to crow in his ears every waking second of his day.

The way back to Urahara’s passes by faster than last night, but his next obstacle comes in the form of Yoruichi, propped right before the handmade senkaimon.

“Yoruichi-san,” Ichigo greets, trying to appear casual, “I need to pass.”

Yoruichi uncrosses her arms and meets his eyes. Ichigo inches back half a step, prepared for the worst.

“Are you sure that it’s a good idea, Ichigo?”

Her question surprises him for a moment, but then he nods. Yoruichi must see the determination behind his gaze because she sighs and steps to the side, leaving the way to the spirit world open.

“Good luck, kid.”

And if there was ever someone who’d have his back without Ichigo ever asking or expecting anything in return, it is Yoruichi-san, after all.

* * *

**ETA on "Strawberry": 2 days**

* * *

“Are you idiots just about ready?” Mayuri’s shout echoes through the artificially illuminated hallways of the Research and Division Department.

The man’s voice is at a volume where it can easily break someone’s eardrums if they are standing too close to the crazy scientist.

“Hey, hey, I hope he wasn’t talking about us.” Shinji mutters, face twisting in a grimace as he encounters a particularly slimy substance particle.

“For his wellbeing, he better not be.”

Byakuya’s tone is dry and the captain is, dare Shinji describe him as such even inside the privacy of his own mind, _morose_. Their current preoccupation does not help matters, but the sixth division captain looks close to tearing through the place with Senbonzakura.

The last man in the trio – and certainly the only one currently not bothered by their situation – throws his head back and laughs heartily.

“Come now, come now! We’ve got to finish this quickly, there’s no time to waste!” Isshin uses the glass wand in his hand to drag one big chunk of reiatsu from the slime and grime mix at their feet.

But he pulls on it with too much force and much too fast. The slimy substance erupts and splatters on the floor and ceiling. Alarmingly, a few drops also fly on the other two captains.

Shinji’s hands fly from the other side of the small basin to keep Byakuya from taking out his zanpakuto and wreaking havoc in his quest to kill Isshin. Consequently, the fifth division captain is thrust in the precarious position of using his target as a counterforce to the gravity pulling him towards the unmerciful waters of the creepy substance at their feet.

“Isshin you better keep your damn mouth shut!” Shinji says through gritted teeth, feet scrambling to get a better grip on the smooth floor.

The former captain nods rapidly but the effect is broken by his grime-splattered face.

This is how Mayuri finds them when he enters the room. His unnervingly yellow eyes sweep the place once before he deadpans.

“And what is this? If you have time to chat, then that means you are done.”

“No, we aren’t!” Shinji finally manages to right himself before he turns to the scientist. “How in the hell will this help our plan?!”

He demands, pointing towards the kiddie inflatable pool with yellow ducks and flower designs where the strange combination of substances and reiatsu is resting. Mayuri told them to fish out any reiatsu fragments they see, but Shinji barely has half of an idea why they need to be subjected to this kind of torture.

To put things into context, Isshin somehow managed to sneak into the Seiretei bright and early this morning. After successfully escaping detection, he wasted no time in seeking out his colleagues in crime. Much to Isshin’s disappointment, he wasn’t able to find Toshiro. With his first victim MIA, he turned to the closest divisions and ended up at Byakuya’s doorstep along with Shinji, whom he dragged out of bed quite literally.

The sixth division captain was very alarmed by Isshin bypassing all their alarms undetected, as much as Shinji was partly impressed by the feat. Suffice to say, he almost had the man arrested right there on the Kuchiki estate’s threshold, but then Isshin invoked the sacred reason for his visit as being part of the plan.

This mellowed Byakuya somewhat, but his guard lowered too much, and thus, he ended up being strung along with Isshin and a still unsuspecting Shinji towards the twelfth division’s barracks. Mayuri seemed to have been waiting for them, and Shinji simply refuses to entertain the thought of why Isshin is doing business with the crazy madman.

The fifth division captain knew that they had something cooking with the twelfth, but he didn’t ask for the details simply because he prefers to avoid this place like the plague. But now he’s been dragged in here by both Mayuri and Isshin, given a strange glass wand and told to fish inside this kiddie pool filled with goo for some black spots of reiatsu belonging to their worst – and hopefully dead – enemy.

Shinji eyes the murderous aura that seeps out of Byakuya’s every pore and sighs, partly wondering how the man hadn’t exploded until now. Spirit knows that the R&D is filled with a lot less flammable substances than Byakuya’s temper.

“It will help because I said so.” Mayuri says this so offhandedly that Byakuya almost snaps the wand in two.

Shinji winces but does not dare touch the man again, lest he wants to take a mouthful of goo as well.

Isshin chuckles, entirely unbothered by the tense atmosphere inside the room and waves a hand.

“Maybe it will help if you explain it to them, Kurotsuchi-taichou. Unlike me, they like to know the deep stuff.”

Mayuri seems to raise an eyebrow at Isshin’s words. Well, _seems_ is the word for it because Shinji cannot really figure out the man’s facial features under the seven layers of makeup and whatnot.

Without a word, the scientist turns and points to a metal stand a few meters behind them. Its figure is almost obscured by the countless cables going in and out of a glass dome and, no matter how much Shinji tries, he cannot make out what exactly it supports.

“Do you see that?” Mayuri asks rhetorically. “That is what Kuchiki sent me.”

The Kuchiki in question is almost a taboo subject to mention. The transformation the allusion to his sister has over Byakuya is almost surreal. Suddenly, the man is as composed as Shinji’s ever seen him, every trace of his earlier irritation is gone, and he seems back to being the poster boy for aristocratic serenity.

“The Outsukama crystal.” Isshin supplies.

“Oh yeah,” Shinji rubs his chin thoughtfully, still trying to catch a glimpse of the famous piece, “Kensei told me that he saw the two goons from the eleventh with it the other day.”

Mayuri ignores him.

“Unfortunately, its complete analysis had to be put on hold in light of my discovery.” The scientist explains and gestures to the crystal with aggravation. “Ishida Uryuu and Abarai Renji came to me in your name with the proposition that I latter accepted. Truthfully, I had hoped to take longer than it did to keep my end of the bargain, but in any case,” Shinji raises his eyebrows and exchanges an incredulous look with Byakuya, if you can believe it, “it did not take me long to figure out what it was that you needed to take Kurosaki Ichigo out of his prison.”

Mayuri takes two long strides and taps on the glass dome which, for some reason, makes Shinji’s skin crawl and an uneasy feeling to climb in the back of his throat.

“You see, this crystal has been under some serious pressure lately. It was in a state of deep sleep and it hasn’t been disturbed for millennia. Well, until Yhwach came along. Let’s not forget that the madman,” as if _Mayuri_ had the right to call anyone that, “cut the crystal right in two, thus awakening it yet again with the death of the Soul King.”

“From your words, it seems to me that you consider the Outsukama to be a living thing.” Byakuya speaks carefully, eyes narrowed and face tense. Shinji shifts and glances to the twelfth division captain.

Mayuri has a large grin on his face and is shaking with excitement.

“It is!” His voice is almost a whisper, but it is still enough to give Shinji the creeps. “It’s always been alive, just dormant, and when the Soul King died, it returned to its main purpose – seek another Soul King. The world cannot exist as we know it otherwise, and the Outsukama is well aware of that. Its instinct is to search for the missing ingredient to bring the chaos back to order and keep the worlds from collapsing into each other.”

“Tell them what happened when Yhwach cut the crystal.” Isshin urges the explanation along, mostly because the fine details are irrelevant at the moment.

Byakuya shoots the older man a thinly veiled glare, accusing without words that this information has been kept from him, but Shinji is just fucking glad that he didn’t have to know it until now. He is unsure how to feel that he needs to find out against his will.

Mayuri purses his lips, obviously annoyed but surprisingly complies with the request.

“It is rather obvious – the moment Yhwach touched the Outsukama, it absorbed his reiatsu and marked him as a candidate. It did help that he also absorbed the Soul King.”

At this, all four Shinigami grimace.

“The crystal was just waiting for its chance to swallow him whole, but you know how the rest went. Kurosaki Ichigo defeated him and his reiatsu scattered through the world. So, the Outsukama moved to the next best candidate still within its reach.”

“Ichigo.” Shinji mouths the answer, eyes widening with surprise as he understands.

“Kurosaki Ichigo not only shares some genetic makeup with Yhwach, he also had fought him for long enough to be heavily touched by the man’s reiatsu. Those two reasons, along with the fact that Kurosaki Ichigo was a good candidate enough already on his own, gave the crystal enough incentive to immediately decide on the newest King.”

“But how did Ichigo get inside the crystal?” Shinji still cannot wrap his head around it. “Did it swallow him or something?”

Mayuri throws him a belittling look that has Shinji sneering in return.

“No,” the scientist scoffs, “the crystal has control over six non-sentient forms of energy that do its bidding when it is time to choose a new King – this, I found out from the book you sent me. They are apparently in charge of performing the ritual and the sealing. And they will also be the ones to conduct the ritual to dismember Kurosaki in a few days.”

Isshin makes a face and it is maybe the first time that Shinji sees how truly worried and haggard he is under all that bluster.

“That’s not going to happen.”

Mayuri hums for an unnervingly long while. “Yes, indeed.” He confirms. “Not now that I’m almost done.”

Shinji and Byakuya direct their gazes to the support, the glass dome and the jungle of cables.

“This piece might be small, but it holds enough power on its own to act as a magnet for Yhwach’s spirit particles. Over the last few days, I had it gather everything within the Soul Society and the Gensei. I estimate that I have about seventy-five percent of it and if I allow for a five percent error and say that some of that quantity is gone, then only twenty percent must be gathered from Hueco Mundo.”

“And this goo?” Shinji asks, feeling like a little kid as he points to the pool at their feet.

Mayuri shrugs. “Some reiatsu particles have mixed with my serums, so I needed someone to disentangle the mess.”

“You have subordinates for that.” Byakuya sneers to no avail because Mayuri continues, undeterred.

“You should have it done by the time I finish collecting the reiatsu from Hueco Mundo.”

“Here’s where we come in.” Isshin warns and both captains turn to look in his direction questioningly. The former captain’s eyes are hard, and his face is set into stone. “We’re here to make sure that our dear Espada isn’t going to wreak havoc while he keeps the Garganta open for Mayuri to collect the rest of the reiatsu.”

Shinji shouldn’t be surprised anymore, he really _shouldn’t_. Gone are the days where he can have a _peaceful day_. But he does have three questions left.

“Will it be really ready in time? There are only two days left.”

Mayuri throws him an indignant glare. “Of course it will, you maggot!”

“Can Ichigo really be swapped over for Yhwach’s poo poo?”

Byakuya’s eye twitches. “For captain Kurotsuchi’s sake, I certainly hope so. It wasn’t pleasant to fish out Yhwach’s ‘poo poo’.”

The fifth division looks around helplessly, shoulders drooping. He cannot even enjoy the uncharacteristic and amusing moment of Byakuya saying ‘poo poo’ because the stress is getting to him.

“Is this going to take long?”

Isshin cracks a grin just as the world behind him shifts and splits open into a void filled with darkness.

“Who the hell is this Kurotsuchi and he better have a good explanation on why I have to come to this shithole!”

Shinji reaches up to rub at his temples while Mayuri twitches dangerously and Byakuya sighs with aggravation.

Figures that it is Grimmjow who picked the short straw.

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

* * *

**_Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:_ ** _"_ _But that all changed [...]. You had won for yourselves a world of peace. You found things that you desired to protect, to treasure, and in doing so, you became a group of weaklings, ready to hesitate in the name of your meaningless justice or pride. Allow me to tell you what you have failed to realize until the day of your death. Soul Society will die here today. But the Gotei 13 died with us, a thousand years ago."_

* * *

**ETA on "Strawberry": 1 day**

* * *

“And you are?”

Shiba Kaname tries his best to keep his smile polite as he answers the criminal’s rather rude inquiry.

“Shiba Kaname.”

The other man opens his mouth, but Kaname cuts him off as his smile widens marginally.

“Of course, I know who you are, former captain of squad five, Sosuke Aizen. You were quite the subject of conversation between your subordinates before you betrayed the Gotei 13. Kaien never hesitated to talk about you, as you may expect.”

If he is in any way affected by his words, Aizen does not show it. Instead, the man’s lips twitch and pull into a smile of his own. Kaname feels the cold tendrils of an incongruous and nasty feeling climbing up his spine the longer he looks at it.

“Indeed.” The former Shinigami says vaguely. “Though my intention was purely to make an observation about you, Kaname-san.”

Kaname is taken aback enough to let his surprise show on his face. Aizen pounces on it like a predator.

“Your appearance truly derailed me at first. You bear an uncanny resemblance to both Kaien Shiba and Kurosaki Ichigo.”

The observation hurts, but not as much as Aizen probably hopes. Kaname lets his smile turn sour as he replies.

“Enough people have told me that about Kaien, and I heard a lot lately regarding Ichigo. Unfortunately, I do not know if the latter is true, but I hope that soon I will be able to find out.”

Aizen’s expression relaxes slightly and Kaname is just about to inquire something else out of this elusive character, but Ganju chooses that moment to jog to their side.

“What are you doing? Big sis is about to start with the meeting-“

The younger man throws Aizen a glare just in case, full of accusations that he’s doing sketchy things to his cousin.

Kaname senses the direction of his thoughts because he places a steady hand on Ganju’s shoulder.

“Then we shouldn’t keep her waiting, lest we want a good beating.”

Ganju snickers and they trek back to the underground level of the Shiba residence.

As expected, Kukaku is standing at the front of the room, arms crossed over her chest. Next to her, Yoruichi smirks in their direction when they enter. They are the last ones to arrive, it seems.

Isshin is at the front of the room as well, facing Kukaku from a few paces away. Ginjo and Tsukishima are just behind the man and Ganju walks up to their side, while Kaname makes a left to join the small number of clan representatives who have deemed it important enough to participate in the last meeting before the raid. The rest of the Shiba upper echelons were glad to be rid of them from their archive, and now consider that they have washed their hands off this madness.

Shinji stands on the right side of the room with the other Gotei 13 officers that are in the know. Kenpachi is not here yet and the anxiousness shows on Ikkaku and Yumichika’s faces, but otherwise, the rest of the captains seem unconcerned or, in Mayuri’s case, uninterested about the proceedings.

Aizen hesitates when he finds himself at a crossroads, but in the end, he ends up with the other humans. Ishida Uryuu throws him a cautious look but offers no other comment otherwise. Aizen cannot help but entertain the amusing thought that Ishida might as well have become his main jailer since the Shinigami have been too distracted with everything going on – both officially and illegally.

Inoue Orihime looks nervous, hands fidgeting and face evolving into a worried expression the further Kukaku drags out this meeting. Yasutora Sado, on the other hand, stands like a perfectly immobile statue, judgemental and considering everything that is being said.

Grimmjow’s presence is a surprise, but the Espada only sneers at him for a long moment before he returns his attention to what Kukaku says. It seems that whatever orders Halibel gave, they are serious enough to hold all his attention.

“The transport is a go.” Kukaku reports as she flicks her hair over one shoulder. “You will be divided into two groups for easier access, but you will both arrive around the same time. So don’t scatter off like idiots!”

The woman’s bark echoes through the room and Aizen raises an elegant eyebrow, virtually inviting her to continue with her verbal abuse since it does not apply to him. His relevance in this plan will be over, come morning. Aizen does not have possession of a zanpakuto anymore, nor does he hold any serious amount of spiritual pressure.

He is not officially welcome into the Soul Society nor in Hueco Mundo, so he will be on his way back to the Gensei to continue his poor excuse of an exile once this meeting is over. At least, he will finally be free of these irritating souls and once more have time for his own new-found hobbies.

Yoruichi takes the word then, and her unnerving gaze meanders over the heads gathered here before she opens her mouth.

“What Kukaku wants to say,” Yoruichi grins with amusement, all sharp teeth and glinting eyes, “is that you will scatter off, but _strategically_. The first group to arrive will be composed of the fighters who will throw the place into disarray. The second group is the one who will head directly towards the Soul King’s room. There will be continuous communication between the two groups thanks to these.”

She steps back to show them a high table on which there are several black devices. If Aizen squints, he might be able to say that he’s seen them in the Gensei at some point.

“They are from the Gensei indeed.”

Yoruichi confirms with a sly grin directed straight at him and the former soul reaper’s eyes narrow in distaste at being found out. Thankfully, the woman’s gaze shifts to encompass the room at large once more.

“Using these, we will be able to communicate to you what your next move is much more easily.”

“You do know what the R&D has these too, right?” Mayuri asks derisively, mostly offended that they had to go to the Gensei to acquire those.

“We wanted to limit the Gotei 13’s involvement as much as we could. Worst case scenario, the captain commander comes to the barracks and shuts everything down.” Yoruichi explains patiently. “We couldn’t risk it.

The head scientist huffs but concedes the point surprisingly easily.

The silence that stretches after her sentence ends is honestly suffocating. Several people start talking with their neighbors and urgent whispering turns the distressing quiet into a frantic buzzing. Aizen’s mind burns through at least five different scenarios before Yoruichi has mercy and claps her hands to bring back the attention onto her.

Her amusement, though, is not gone at all.

“We were lucky to receive help from Ginjo and Tsukishima on this matter. Together with Ganju, the three of them managed to figure out a way to make these work here in the Soul Society, where the laws of physics are slightly different than in the world of the living.”

Ginjo sniffs and squares his shoulders while Ganju grins and offers a thumb up. Tsukishima looks on in amusement.

“Each radio is already set up and we will shortly explain to you how it works, but first.” Yoruichi exchanges a look with Kukaku, who nods and opens the sliding door at the front of the room.

Aizen’s eyebrows climb up on his forehead when he sees a head pop out shyly from beyond the doorframe and his surprise mounts when he realizes who, exactly, that is.

“H-Hello, everyone!” Hanatarou Yamada squeaks and bows from the waist.

“Hanatarou, buddy!” Ganju seems the most excited of them all. He jogs to the shorter boy and starts chatting animatedly.

The fourth squad member seems immediately put at ease and his demeanor relaxes until there is no trace of his earlier nervousness anymore.

“What is the meaning of this, Yoruichi?” Isshin asks gravely as he takes in the newest arrival.

“We needed a good medic, and as much as Orihime’s powers are amazing, they are not exactly in the field of medicine.” Yoruichi explains, equally serious.

“Captain Kotetsu-“ Isshin begins but stops when Yoruichi shakes her head.

“We tried getting her up to speed, but she refused. Even so, Hanatarou insisted that he joins in no matter what, so she let him do what he wishes. We are lucky that the third seat of the fourth was willing to go along with us in this plan.”

Hearing her words, Hanatarou turns towards her with a small smile and Aizen realizes then that he is not necessarily just a scared mouse anymore. There is something under his unconfident exterior that is equally surprising.

“Once I heard about the situation and about Ichigo-san, I couldn’t just stay back and do nothing. I wanted to help no matter what!”

Yoruichi shoots him a genuine smile while Kukaku nods in approval and shoos Hanatarou with her little brother back to his former spot.

“Now that introductions are over, listen up ‘cause we are diving you into teams! And then you’ll hear all about this strange device.” The fireworks master shoots an uncertain look to the radio that has Aizen smirking in return.

Truth to be said, deep inside his soul, he was also a little overwhelmed on his first month of stay in the Gensei. The technology, the rules, the society, it was all strange and new but nowadays, he got used to it to the point where he can easily blend in, even in the face of something that still confuses him.

“Quick question, Yoruichi-san, Kukaku-san.” Ikkaku raises a hand and it’s obvious that he’s kind of intimidated by the two since he’s acting so polite. “When are we going to inform our captain of everything?”

There is a certain frenzy in both officers from the eleventh, but Aizen can only see the disadvantages of telling Kenpachi everything right now. Rather, he would personally wait until the last minute. That bloodthirsty man doesn’t usually need much time to make a decision because he functions on a ‘first thought is the best’ kind of mentality. And he will make the biggest ruckus of the century if he were to have to, spirits forbid, _wait_.

The two women look at one another before they, in a peculiar twist of fate, turn to look at _Aizen_. Said man blinks but otherwise shows no reaction to their sudden staring.

“I guess we should start with this then.” Yoruichi mumbles begrudgingly. “Listen up!”

This gets the attention of everyone in the room and a sudden cold shiver travels down Aizen’s spine, bringing with it only bad news.

“While in the Soul King’s palace, you will receive live orders that you need to follow! These devices have some kind of tracking feature named ‘GPS’ that will allow them to see where you are in real time. Rukia was kind enough to send us a map,” which was more of a handmade drawing, but Aizen supposes that beggars cannot be choosers, not in this instance, “so they assured us that they can work it out.”

“Who is this ‘them’ you keep mentioning?” Toshiro asks carefully, bracing for the next surprise Yoruichi and Kukaku will bring forth. It appears that the two have been very occupied in these last few days.

“Some kid named Mizuiro and three other loud ones.” Kukaku waves a hand in dismissal, thinking that bringing out these names isn’t going to start an uproar, but it does.

“You are bringing them here?!”

Toshiro all but yells, which is extremely uncharacteristic of him and it makes his lieutenant take a step back in surprise. But considering what Aizen has spotted, he guesses that the young captain is concerned that this news means that Kurosaki Karin will also be brought right in the middle of the action.

Kurosaki Isshin looks equally grave in the face of this particular revelation, but he abstains from commenting.

Yoruichi is still nonchalant. “We are.” She confirms, and Toshiro’s mood darkens even further. Isshin shifts to stare at the young captain with a calculating look in his eyes. “Don’t worry, captain Hitsugaya. There is basically no chance of anything happening to them here.”

“And how are you so sure?” The boy asks through gritted teeth.

“The Shiba compound is out of bounds for the Shinigami.” Kukaku declares, loud enough that her voice bounces off the walls and creates an eerie echo. “After the fiasco with my brother, they know that they are not welcome here. If the Gotei 13 dares to take a step in our direction without an explicit invitation there will be hell to pay. Besides,” here she grins widely, and the image is more savage than reassuring, “I will be here with Shiroganehiko, Koganehiko and Jidanbou. They will be one hundred percent protected while they are inside this place.”

“I’m not much concerned about their safety as I am concerned for ours.” Yumichika mumbles then, loud enough to make his opinion heard. “I had the chance to get to know Asano Keigo and I must confess that I am unsure of his abilities to give out orders. Or any of his friends' for that matter.”

Yoruichi throws her head back and issues a short laugh before she turns to answer a puzzled third seat.

“Keigo and the others are only the technical team in charge of keeping these devices on track. The one who will give out the orders will actually be him.”

And here she looks directly at Aizen, as if this isn’t the last thing anyone inside the room – Aizen included – would want to happen. Suddenly, he can feel his existential plan going down the drain, faster than the speed of light.

The man in question has a hard time settling on a reaction that is tailored to the façade he keeps up while at the same time being extremely explicit.

“No fucking way.” Shinji drawls out and speaks for basically everyone but the Shiba upper echelons, who must be having the time of their lives watching this discussion unfold.

“Absolutely not!” Yumichika agrees furiously.

“Ditto.” Toshiro glares at Aizen hard enough to leave scorch marks on the floor. 

“For your sake, you should better be joking, Shihouin Yoruichi.” Byakuya offers his input in a dangerous tone.

Yoruichi rolls her eyes. “Stop being so _dramatic_.”

“You’re asking us to put our lives in _his_ hands!” Ikkaku shouts and points rather rudely.

Aizen’s eyes narrow and his mouth puckers with distaste.

“I will throw your words right back at you. I refuse to be further dragged into this mess, and I am certainly not about to play the technical guy behind the console with you people.”

The former captain of the second squad shoots him a raised eyebrow at the same time that the Shinigami throw him questioning glances. Aizen thinks that he sees Ishida Uryuu smirk with amusement, while Yasutora Sado is definitely doing so.

“I’ve been in the Gensei long enough to acquire the so-called ‘pop-culture’ savvy.” He points out and Shinji snickers loudly.

Isshin’s lips twitch into a smirk and it serves to further downgrade Aizen’s general mood.

“You are the best one suited for that. It’s risky to use the twelfth division’s help and captain Kurotsuchi has to go to the royal dimension anyway. You’ve been there once, you’ve fought against Yhwach, not to mention that you are incredibly good at devising long and short-term strategies. And you are also incredibly full of free time, so I doubt that you have any grounds to offer a _real_ refusal.” Yoruichi points out and she must think that she has won.

Well, _tough_.

“On the contrary, saying ‘I refuse’ counts as a real refusal.” Aizen can argue all day on the technicalities, but that would mean postponing the plan for next week and that spells disaster. He can already feel the beginnings of a migraine at the edges of his consciousness.

“How about you shut your trap and just accept it?” In her usual blunt manner, Kukaku cuts short the developing argument. “It’s already been decided and it’s not like you’ve got any chance of getting away. We can either let you walk free or tie you up to a chair, it makes no difference to me.” She raises a clenched fist, clearly a threat. “Either way, you’re staying, got it?”

Aizen counts himself above such frivolities, but many pairs of eyes are watching him warily. He is also, _dare he say_ , not looking forward to being treated as a prisoner. He’s had enough of that in the past and there is no doubt that Kukaku will keep her word. Aizen knows that he has no choice but to cooperate and, honestly speaking, it has been a while since he’d stretched his mental muscles with this particular skill. If nothing else, it will be a good exercise.

With a despondent sigh, he nods with much hesitation. Scoffs erupt as the Shinigami turn around to face the two women again.

Yoruichi’s face is suddenly grave, but Kukaku looks self-satisfied in her victory.

“First order of business then,” the former assassin says to Aizen, “when should Kenpachi be informed?”

Aizen takes one moment to think it over again.

“One hour before the appointed time.” He barely affords the squad eleven representants a glance. “They will need fifteen minutes to make their captain understand everything, then Kenpachi will need two minutes to make his final decision. The following forty-three minutes should be used to bring him here.”

Yumichika sniffs but nods along. “Fine then.”

Ikkaku seems doubtful and they will certainly argue, but Aizen knows that these two are aware of the fact that he is incredibly good at planning things, especially when he knows his targets so well. If he thinks that this is how Kenpachi should be informed, then they will most likely follow his judgment.

Time is of the essence, after all, and no one wants to really risk getting off track unless they want a disaster on their hands.

“The first team will be launched at dawn tomorrow, closely followed by the second team with a distance of fifteen minutes in between them.” Kukaku explains, taking out a crumpled paper from the pouch at her hip. “The first group consists of the attack team, namely squad eleven, Grimmjow, Ginjo and Tsukishima, Ganju, Hirako, Matsumoto Rangiku, Renji Abarai and Yasutora Sado.”

“You will spearhead the main attack on the palace.” Yoruichi adds with a sly grin. “Make sure to wreak as much havoc as you can!”

“The second team,” Kukaku calls their attention back on her, “will be composed of the people who are capable enough to guard Kurotsuchi on the way up to the King’s room and help Ichigo when we get him out. Discounting Kuchiki Rukia, who’s already in the palace and Kurotsuchi, the rest of you are with them.”

“I will be switching between teams on site.” Yoruichi head looks from one group to the other. “We need to be able to create enough chaos to distract them while we make the switch. How long is it going to take you to do that, captain Kurotsuchi?”

Mayuri purses his lips, as if she asked a particularly unpleasant thing.

“Under normal circumstances, it would take one hour.” He cannot even finish his sentence before protests erupt. One nasty look from the scientist and most of the sane ones close their mouths. “ _Under normal circumstances_.” Mayuri stresses. “But the fact is that Kuchiki Rukia managed to break off a piece of the Outsukama, which is supposed to be virtually indestructible and untouchable. There are still many unknown factors to account for, which is why I will not give you any time indication. Simply put, it is up to how these variables will play out.”

“That’s dangerously close to you admitting that there exists something like fate, captain.” Tsukishima says with a dry smile that has Mayuri breaking out into expletives.

“That is certainly _not_ -!”

“Alright.” Yoruichi intervenes before the argument can develop any further. “We will have to be as fast as we can.” Then she looks to Aizen and his eyes narrow in response to her staring. “The kids will get here soon, and you will be instructed how to operate the system later.”

“Which means!” Kukaku shouts loud enough to break their eardrums. Her face holds a painfully delighted grin. “You are not going anywhere until we tell you that you can. So saddle up for the wait and you might get to eat lunch if you behave!”

* * *

“This place is so _cool_!”

Keigo’s head swivels from one side to the other in complete wonder.

Mizuiro, on the other hand, is stiffer than Tatsuki’s ever seen him. He walks with almost robotic movements, eyes fixed forward and no expression on his face.

“Such a strange place indeed!” Don Kanonji agrees, though he is equally delighted to be here.

Yuzu winces and looks up at the older man. “I think we should be quiet, you guys.”

Perched on her shoulder, Kon nods, unusually serious.

“I agree.” Her sister says with a sigh and directs her attention to their surroundings again. “Better to not have crazy people jumping us.”

Karin’s been trying to keep her cool before and during their journey, but her careful movements and less than biting remarks obviously allude to her anxiousness.

Tatsuki tries her best to diffuse the charged atmosphere with a snort.

“Fair enough. Hey, Keigo – shut up!”

Keigo pouts but dutifully abstains from any further comment.

Their two unusual guides suddenly stop in front of a pair of sliding doors. Each one grips a handle and open the way for them to walk inside.

The room beyond is small and cave-like in structure. There are tables pulled up against the walls where the radios and a couple of laptops rest. In one corner, a small generator is pulled up that can be used to charge their array of electronics because electricity is scarce in the Soul Society – which is to say, that it doesn’t exist anywhere else but in the R&D headquarters. Kukaku has one such generator that she uses as a battery for the artificial lights in the corridor they just passed through.

There are lamps on the walls and the flames of their candles dance in the sudden air currents traveling inside the room. They paint shadows on the walls and on the floor, obscuring a good part of the room. It is why Yuzu doesn’t see him when she steps inside just after Keigo.

“Welcome to the seventh Rukongai District.”

The girl jumps and yelps as she turns around to face the person sitting in the furthest corner of the room.

“Why the hell are you standing there like a creep?” Karin steps up next to her sister and glares at Toshiro.

The captain’s eyebrow twitches, as if silently inquiring if he was that invisible and Karin’s eyes narrow because she won’t just admit that she wasn’t paying enough attention to her surroundings. This is a sure reason to send her home and she will be damned if that happens.

“I was waiting for you guys.” Toshiro explains, never moving from the unusually comfortable chair brought over from the Gensei. “You can set your things here and leave the set up for after the introductions.”

“Introductions?” Tatsuki echoes dubiously.

Toshiro sighs tiredly as he gets to his feet.

“I hope you did not expect to come here and not meet everyone who will depend on your skills.”

They all look at him as he crosses the room and stops in the doorway to glance back at them.

“They are a rowdy bunch, so you better hurry up before something blows up.”

Karin’s hands land on her hips and her face morphs into a doubtful expression that Toshiro only rewards with a small shake of his head. She steps to his side, since there is nothing in her hands to deposit back inside.

“And what are you sulking about today?”

Toshiro would be damned if he says the real reason – ‘ _you_ ’ – so he only huffs and crosses his arms over his chest.

“That is usually my face but thank you for pointing it out.”

Karin obviously doesn’t buy this for a minute, but the others are already done and join them outside in the hallway.

The captain guides them instead of the twins who have disappeared when they weren’t paying attention. The sprawling corridors of the underground level seem to go on forever, but somehow, Toshiro knows his way around them regardless.

“This is the Shiba clan’s main house. You are aware of that, right?” His tone is tentative, and Karin affords a small smirk.

“Yes!” Yuzu answers happily. “I can’t wait to meet them! Karin-chan said that we have two cousins here.”

“Indeed.”

Just the simple act of Toshiro agreeing has Karin’s nervousness reaching new heights. Now the notion is more real than ever, tangible, and she cannot afford to look weak in front of their important relatives.

She heard that the Shiba clan was a very powerful clan in the past, and even now it holds some sway in the Rukongai District.

“Not only that, but Kukaku is the current head of the clan. She is a strong character, so it will probably take you some time to get used to her. Her little brother Ganju is better in that aspect. I’m sure that you will take a liking to him very fast.”

“Wow, Toshiro-kun! You seem to know them well!” Yuzu exclaims as she dances to his side, delighted to hear more details about their relatives.

Toshiro holds back a grimace. “Unwillingly.”

Further discussion is tabled as they emerge into a larger hallway where Toshiro stops in front of a wall filled with sliding doors. He opens the closest pair and steps inside what could only be described as a banquet hall.

There are low, long traditional tables with pillows scattered around the room. Scrolls with calligraphy and traditional paintings hang from the walls imposingly, but otherwise, the space is devoid of anything else in terms of furniture.

“ _Yuzu-chan_! _Karin-chan_!”

Both girls step back when their father comes sailing over numerous heads and tables, arms wide as if to hug them. The man falls face-first on the floor and the twins take a moment to look him over.

He is dressed in his soul reaper clothes, Karin notices belatedly, and there is an incongruous feeling tingling through her body at the sight of his zanpakuto. Yuzu takes less time to come to terms with the old man’s appearance and she offers a perpetually patient smile.

“Hello, tou-chan.” The girl crouches down next to Isshin’s head, but the idiot just jumps to his feet, takes out a wallet photo of their mother and starts slobbering over it with tears. “ _Masaki_! Our daughters have grown so cold towards their father!”

One slim leg glides through the air at a ridiculously high speed and connects with Isshin’s head, sending him right through another set of double doors.

“Stupid moron.”

Karin, Yuzu and company look to the woman responsible for Isshin’s abrupt exit. Expectedly, Keigo’s nostrils flare, and Kon is already flying over the distance towards the woman. Mizuiro’s gaze holds something foreign in it, and Tatsuki wonders if he is interested too, because the woman is certainly older than them, though she looks young enough to be in her mid-twenties.

“Welcome everyone!”

Kukaku slaps Kon away like a fly in the same breath, sending him in the direction she previously sent Isshin in.

“A fiery woman, that one.” Don Kanonji looks less inclined to get himself killed.

Tatsuki rules him as the only sane one in the house.

Kukaku’s eyes settle on the two girls and smiles warmly. They only come up to her chin in height, but she is confident that these are Ichigo’s sisters and, consequently, her cousins.

“It’s practically a miracle to get to meet you two. I’m Kukaku Shiba, your cousin.”

“Kurosaki Karin. This is my sister Yuzu.”

Yuzu bows politely and Karin executes a faster version, but Kukaku gathers them in a quick hug before she settles her arms on their shoulders. Karin is surprised to notice that one of them is a prosthetic, but her thoughts are rudely interrupted as Kukaku jerks them further inside the room. Tatsuki and the others follow hesitatingly, uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the people gathered.

“This is my little brother, Ganju.”

Ganju is a muscly fellow, but he has a kind face and a large smile that immediately sets both twins at ease. He greets them happily, and Yuzu seems to immediately connect with him in a way that Karin seems to do with their oldest cousin. She already feels a trickle of admiration for the strength and poise Kukaku so effortlessly exudes.

Kukaku leaves them for a few minutes to go beat on their father some more, so Ganju guides them around the room in the meantime, and Karin suddenly feels like a circus act in full motion.

“Hey, aren’t those the shady guys that Ichi-nii was running around with?” Karin asks Yuzu without much thought when she finds Ginjo and Tsukishima at a nearby table.

Unfortunately, they hear her, though they don’t look at all offended by her words. If anything, Tsukishima seems very entertained as he sips at his drink.

“We’re definitely those same shady guys.” Ginjo smirks then turns to a man with a sharp jaw and a shock of blue hair. Karin spots a bone-like structure hanging over his right cheek and inwardly wonders how it’s staying in place. “These two are Ichigo’s little sisters.”

“You’re shitting me!” The man’s tone is rude, and his gaze is sharp and critical as he looks them over once before he turns back to Ginjo. “They don’t look very powerful.”

“Oh, don’t be an ass, Grimmjow!” A busty woman sneers in the man’s direction before she turns to them with a smile on her beautiful face “My name is Rangiku and you must be Karin,” she points to the right twin and Karin wonders why she knows her especially, “so you are Yuzu!”

Yuzu nods enthusiastically. Something about Rangiku reminds Karin fleetingly of Orihime. They both have bubbly personalities and lively ways of speaking, though it is obvious that there is something exceedingly dangerous under Rangiku’s candy exterior.

“Let me get you out of here, this is the asshole table.” She makes sure to shoot an unflattering glare at the three men.

Grimmjow flips her the bird, but the other two simply return to their earlier conversation.

“I-I-Ikkaku-san! Y-Yumichika-san!” Keigo shouts loud enough to have the whole neighborhood hear. His hands are clutching at his hair and his face is several shades paler. “You’re _here_!”

Yumichika smothers a chuckle, but Ikkaku is right in the young man’s face.

“ _Hah_?! Isn’t this a fresh face? I hope you missed us!”

Several people laugh shortly at the faces that the squad eleven lieutenant makes at the poor boy. Mizuiro looks on with polite interest while Tatsuki simply rolls her eyes and returns to her conversation with Orihime. Chad sits next to her, face obscured by his hair as he talks with Uryuu.

Karin waves to her other cousin when he seems to sense her eyes on him and turns his head. The other Quincy offers a short wave in return and his expression tells Karin that they will talk later, after the girls are done with their grand tour around the banquet room.

“And you damn better be on your best behavior, or I’m not going to be as nice next time!” Kukaku’s strident voice sounds closer to them now.

At their side, Rangiku giggles behind her hand and looks at both girls with sympathy.

“Don’t be discouraged if you feel overwhelmed. The characters inside this room cannot be considered sane or normal!”

Yuzu’s mouth opens in surprise while Karin’s eyebrows climb up on her forehead.

“I hope you’re not referring to me as well, Matsumoto.” Toshiro is suddenly behind the blond woman and she startles in surprise. Karin watches, speechless, as Rangiku hurries to draw her shihakushou tighter around her boobs.

“Of course not, captain! You are the sanest one among us!”

“That doesn’t say much.” Toshiro mumbles despondently and that is when Karin finally figures it out.

She’s seen Rangiku before, but there is only one such vague memory in her head. Now though, she can spot the lieutenant’s badge clearly on the woman’s arm.

“You’re Toshiro’s lieutenant.” Karin concludes out loud and Rangiku turns to her with excitement.

“I am! And you’re-“

“Out of here, Matsumoto.” The captain’s tone is low and dangerous. Rangiku scutters away with an exaggerated wink and a loud giggle.

“Karin, Yuzu!” Ganju comes up to them with a large smile, dragging someone behind him. “This is my buddy Hanatarou!”

Hanatarou is a slim boy, almost Karin’s heigh and with a shy personality that surely contradicts whatever preconceptions she has about the merciless soul reapers. He smiles warmly at them both and bows his head politely.

“It’s nice to meet you! My name is Hanatarou Yamada, I am the third seat of squad four.”

“Kurosaki Karin.” The older twin finds herself answering in kind, mostly because she would feel bad otherwise.

“My name is Kurosaki Yuzu. It’s nice to meet you, Hanatarou-kun!” Yuzu smiles sweetly and the boy’s smile widens until his dimples are visible.

“I’m happy to meet Ichigo-san’s sisters!”

“Woah, you know Ichi-nii, too? Everyone here does!” Yuzu exclaims, clasping her hands together and Karin is surprised to see that her older sister has finally relaxed enough to speak to someone. She’s been unusually silent ever since they stepped foot into the Soul Society.

“I do!” Hanatarou agrees enthusiastically. “I met him and Ganju-san when they first came to rescue Rukia-san.”

And from there on, the whole story falls swiftly from Hanatarou’s lips. Ganju offers his input here and there, but all in all, Hanatarou is a decent storyteller. By the end of it, Karin is left with the impression that there isn’t one soul left in the Soul Society who hasn’t heard of their brother.

Yuzu’s face seems stuck between awe and helplessness, and her sister takes the opportunity to deposit a reassuring hand on her back, hoping to calm down her worries.

Kukaku chooses that moment to return to their side with Isshin in tow. The older man is rubbing his swollen cheek with a pained twist to his lips.

“Oi, Ganju! Why the hell did you parade them around the room like that?”

Ganju seems to shrink at his sister’s harsh words and Yuzu rushes to placate her with a tremulous smile.

“T-That’s not true, Kukaku-san…”

Kukaku takes one look at her and _melts._

“Usually, I’m not one to say this, but your daughter is very cute, uncle Isshin.” Even as she speaks the words, Kukaku’s face transforms back into her regular, no-nonsense expression.

Their father sways happily. “ _Right_?!”

“What’s up, sis?” Ganju asks, eyes wandering from Isshin to Kukaku. “You’re standing awfully close to uncle Isshin without beating him up for a change.”

Isshin grins, back to his usual lousy demeanor in the space of a blink.

“You will see.”

Concluding with those ominous words, the man gently coaxes Karin and Yuzu to walk forward.

“Hirako, Byakuya – these are my two beautiful daughters!”

Both girls bow politely.

Karin’s shoulders stiffen under the combined gazes of the two captains, _and_ from being presented in such a corny fashion. Either way, the blond man with a strange hairdo first swallows the last of his sake before he turns a pair of too-sharp eyes onto them.

“I’ve seen them around Karakura.” He cracks a crooked grin. “But it’s nice to formally meet ‘em.”

Hirako’s companion seems to be a distinguished character – or at least in Karin’s imagination. His mannerisms seem too smooth to be entirely natural and his face is studiously devoid of any emotion, though Karin catches something flickering in his eyes as he meets each of their gazes respectfully. 

“Likewise.” Byakuya’s voice is deep and a little too low to overcome the ruckus inside the room. Karin strains to hear his next words. “They do seem to be more respectful than Ichigo, at least. I may like them better.”

Surprisingly, Isshin laughs instead of being properly offended by the observation. Aware that her brother is barely the epitome of politeness, Karin knows that while the comment may be astute, Ichi-nii is not a pushover either. She bites her tongue though, because this man looks powerful in more aspects than just raw strength and this is no time to be caught into petty arguments that she cannot win.

Somewhere behind her father, Toshiro’s reiatsu flickers, like he’s annoyed and Karin wonders if miss Rangiku is back.

“You know our brother, mister…?” Yuzu trails off and tilts her head to the side in a way that’s too cute for this serious conversation.

“Kuchiki Byakuya.”

The simple answer makes both girls startle. Karin’s eyes widen while Yuzu exclaims, both parts delighted and shocked.

“Are you by any chance related to Rukia-chan?”

The man’s stoic expression seems to crack and shift then. Karin gets the sentiment that there are a thousand layers in that answer, but he only offers them a nod as a compromise between telling and not telling a whole story in one sentence.

“Rukia is my sister-in-law.”

“Oh!”

Karin finds herself grinning.

“That’s awesome! She’s been staying at our place for a while and we really like her a lot.”

Byakuya nods in acknowledgment. “And I must thank you for taking such good care of her.”

Isshin waves a hand. “There’s no need for that! I already consider Rukia-chan my third daughter-“

A muscle in Byakuya’s eyelid twitches, which is the most expressive thing Karin has seen from him yet.

“Please don’t.”

Hirako snorts into his cup, but Karin’s attention is stolen by a strange man with blue hair and a face painted in white and black. He stares at Yuzu like a creep and his overall appearance does not offer points in his favor. 

“Who the hell are you and why are you staring at my sister like that?” Karin lets her temper flare, and her hands fly to her hips, half a movement away from conjuring her bow.

The man feels dangerous, and there is an unsettling energy about him that makes her want to retreat rather than fight him. Though for Yuzu, she will do it if she must.

“Don’t bother with him, he’s always a creep.” Hirako grumbles and pours himself another cup of sake.

Byakuya has a little more dignity and forwards no answer but a small glare, caught as he is between Hirako and the strange man. Who now grins widely and those metallic yellow teeth make Karin grit her own in return.

“Just taking a look at Kurosaki Ichigo’s sisters.”

“What the fuck, Kurotsuchi?” Kukaku is back from her conversation with whoever, and she glares at this Kurotsuchi with the strength of a thousand suns.

“I’d rather you not speak to me in such a way.” The man’s amused expression falls into one filled with disdain as he meets Kukaku’s glare. “My interest lays purely in their potential for strength.” His unsettling wide eyes turn from one girl to the other almost robotically. “I expected something more, but I suppose that even genetic material, when left to chance, fails sometimes.”

Karin frowns, but Kukaku is almost fuming now. Even Byakuya has turned his head towards the strange man, and there is something incongruous in his expression.

“What’s that supposed to mean, huh?”

Yuzu’s brows draw together under his scrutiny and Isshin’s hands tighten on their shoulders. Karin is just a smart remark away from kicking him over the head, but Kurotsuchi draws back in his seat and grabs his sakazuki cup without much worry.

“This one doesn’t hold a remarkable amount of reiryoku,” he explains, gesturing to Yuzu, “and that one well, my interest in studying Quincies is long gone.”

It’s just as well that Isshin’s grip is tight on her. Toshiro seems to sense the sudden change in the atmosphere because he steps up to the group just as Kurotsuchi finishes his comment.

“As you should.” Uryuu appears like a specter just behind the creep. His glasses glint dangerously under the artificial lights for a moment before they clear away, and Karin sees that his eyes are narrowed on the man sitting down. “Now stop wasting their time with your stupid observations, Kurotsuchi.”

“You are a joy to be around as per usual, Ishida Uryuu.” Kurotsuchi’s comment is lost in the buzz of conversation and Isshin takes the opportunity to extract them away from the man.

“Dad?” Yuzu tentatively asks when they are safely away. “Who was that?”

Isshin keeps his eyes forward as he navigates through the room again. Karin certainly hopes that there are no more tables to visit because she’s already had her fill with meeting these people.

“That was captain Kurotsuchi of squad twelve. He is a scientist and a very strange person. Do your best to stay away from him.”

And if their father of all people says this, then Karin believes him. She’s always wondered if his common sense is not present somehow when, unlike others their age, they rarely ever received instructions to avoid this and that back when she and Yuzu were younger. But now, Karin realizes that Isshin’s common sense was only skewed because of the reality he was living in until he came to the world of the living.

“You’ve met Urahara before, right? He was the former captain of squad twelve. When he left the Soul Society, Kurotsuchi took his place.”

Karin has no time to ask for more explanations because their father stops them again. This time, the two tables are pulled together and a string of normal-looking people glance up from their conversation. One of them almost gives her whiplash because he bears an uncanny resemblance to her older brother, only with black hair and darker eyes.

“Karin, Yuzu, these are some of the representatives of the Shiba clan.”

Strings of names she has no hope of ever remembering are exchanged then. The last one to present himself is the considerably younger man that she spotted first.

“My name is Kaname. It’s nice to meet more of my cousins!”

Even his grin looks unnervingly close to the original, though she cannot remember her brother ever smiling that wide. Karin catches the moment Yuzu’s eyes glisten and she inwardly swears.

“Likewise!” They all look to her, but Karin brushes off her outburst and tries to buy Yuzu time to pull herself together. “You look very much like our brother, Kaname-san.”

Kaname’s smile turns a little sour. “So I’ve been told. Must be a family thing – there’s already three of us.”

“Three?” Besides a small sniffle, Yuzu looks perfectly fine now.

Her question brings a melancholic expression to basically everyone around them. Ganju’s smile is rueful and Kukaku sighs, as if all her energy just left her. She stalks to the next room without another word and returns thirty seconds later with a framed photo.

“This is our older brother, Kaien.”

Karin promptly forgets how to breathe when her eyes align with the image of basically another Ichi-nii, but this time with wild green eyes. It is such a surreal thing, to see three people with such relatable features that she needs more than a minute to reconcile her mind with reality.

“Did something happen to him?” Yuzu asks gently, unable to repress her curiosity but not improperly nosy.

“He died a long time ago.” Kukaku relates the shortest summary in history. Ganju opens his mouth, obviously about to say more on the subject, but his sister shoots him a look that has him snapping his mouth shut.

Karin inwardly mourns this chance, but she hopes that someday they will be able to find out the whole story.

“You have two very beautiful daughters, Isshin.” One old man speaks out after Yuzu has carefully returned Kaien’s photo to Kukaku. His eyes are kinder than a moment ago. “The Shiba family is honored to greet them into the clan.”

Yuzu gasps and Karin returns their declaration with a tremulous smile, unsure which of the many swarming emotions inside her chest she should choose.

On the other side of the room, Tatsuki rubs the back of her neck, stuck into a terribly uncomfortable situation. That is how their host finds her when the woman approaches the group.

“And what’s going on here?” Kukaku asks threateningly.

“Oh, Kukaku-san! We are trying a new combination of flavors!” Orihime announces proudly and lifts up a small sakazuki cup filled with rice, fish and at least five different sauces that Tatsuki is afraid to ask about.

Next to Orihime, Rangiku beams as well and looks to the other woman expectantly. Tatsuki breathes a sigh of relief that she isn’t the main victim of their tastebuds bullying anymore.

“That looks deadly, you should use it on the enemy in the upcoming mission.”

Tatsuki wasn’t counting on Kukaku being this brutally honest, though she should have expected it. The Shiba clan head doesn’t look like someone who has any patience or will to make up a lie to make others feel better.

Orihime’s face falls nonetheless and Rangiku rightfully frowns at the offender. Tatsuki is seconds away from launching into a tirade when Kukaku deposits what looks like a photo on the table and then reaches out with her good arm to pat Orihime on the head.

“Good job, kid. I think you have a future in poison crafting!”

The group is speechless until Chad and Mizuiro join their side.

“What’s going on?” The shorter boy glances from one shocked face to another in confusion.

Kukaku seems clueless and Tatsuki reaches up to rub her temples.

“This is a mess.” And it’s not even midday yet. “Who even are all of these people?”

“They are the people involved in the plan.” Kukaku says simply, as if that is enough of an explanation.

The range of colorful presences involved is enough to give Tatsuki a serious headache, and that is without taking into account their wild personalities.

The young woman was certainly happy to not have to interact with any of them, unlike poor Karin and Yuzu. Instead, she had the chance to retreat to her best friend’s side and remain there for the rest of the time. Well, until the friend in question and her newest tasting partner decided to get creative.

“Mi-Mi- _Mi_ - _Mizuiro_!” Keigo misses grabbing his friend around the shoulders by a hair’s breadth. “ _Chad_!”

The sniffling boy pitifully croaks from the floor.

Chad leans over him curiously. “What happened?”

“Ikkaku-san and Yumichika-san are bullying me!”

Tatsuki grits her teeth at the baby rolling on the floor.

“That’s their favorite hobby.”

Uryuu remarks, freshly returned from his quest of distracting the funny-looking man sitting at a nearby table. Kon hangs on his shoulder and Don Kanonji is swaying dangerously behind him, rosy cheeks almost glowing under the bright, artificial lights.

“There’s a really big number of people here.” Mizuiro proficiently ignores Keigo’s complaints. He looks around with a wide, calculating gaze that has Kukaku grinning wolfishly. “Are they all going to be involved in the fight?”

“Not all of them. You see those old farts there?” She points to the large table where Karin and Yuzu have been stuck for the past few minutes. Beyond the Kurosaki family, the young woman manages to make out the people Kukaku is talking about. “They’re only here for the free food.”

Rangiku snickers and Orihime offers an uncertain smile.

Tatsuki snorts softly as her gaze returns towards said table and spots that Toshiro kid hanging back some paces away. He certainly looks out of place, though the expression on his face dares anyone to comment on it.

“Is that kid going to be hanging around with us here then?”

Everyone turns to look at the person she is talking about. Rangiku gasps rather loudly, a hand going to cover her mouth as she bursts out in laughter.

“Uhm, Tatsuki-chan…” Orihime trails off, a bead of sweat sliding from her forehead to her cheek. Her friend suddenly looks afraid and Tatsuki wonders why.

Mizuiro and Keigo exchange a look when both Chad and Uryuu start to make pre-emptive movements to stifle their own amusement. Kukaku joins Rangiku though, and it is obvious that whatever is up with that Toshiro kid, there is something deeper than just appearance-wise.

“Bad move, _kid_.” Kon chortles and Tatsuki’s fist clenches.

The plushie ducks behind Uryuu again and the Quincy leans back and glares when her fist comes a little too close to his face to be entirely comfortable.

“I-I’m sorry!” Rangiku manages to gasp through her latest bout of snickers and Tatsuki belatedly notices that there are tears at the corner of her eyes. “Please make sure that you don’t say such a thing in my captain’s vicinity, though.”

Tatsuki’s eyebrows rise in time with the revelation. “He’s a _captain_?”

The older woman nods rapidly, her laughter slowly melting away from her expression. “Yes, he is the captain of the tenth division. Hitsugaya-taichou took over after Isshin-taichou disappeared.”

“Ichigo’s _dad_ was a _captain_?!” Tatsuki’s mouth promptly falls open along with Keigo and Mizuiro’s.

“Indeed!” Rangiku agrees happily. She twists her arm to show them a wooden guard with the number ten on it and a flower Tatsuki doesn’t know the name of. “And I am the lieutenant of the tenth division!”

“Oh.”

“You should do well not to judge people on their appearances around here.” Kukaku instructs, though her grin remains firmly in place.

“That makes sense.” Mizuiro concurs with a tense smile. “Because earlier I saw a man who looked like Ichigo, except that he had black hair and I thought I was going crazy.”

For the second time in under three minutes, Tatsuki receives another surprise. She and Keigo look to their last friend questioningly while an unsettling feeling rises at the back of Tatsuki’s mind. Kukaku does not help their case when she sighs, as if tired of this, and stares at them with an unusual amount of consideration.

“What?”

Their host looks to Orihime, Chad and Uryuu then, as if silently asking them for their input. Tatsuki has come to hate the feeling of being left out, but at the same time, she’s long since gotten used to it.

Orihime has experienced a whole load of stuff that Tatsuki hadn’t, and the same thing goes for Ichigo, Uryuu and Chad as well. Moreover, they experienced it _together_ , and from what scattered details she managed to ply out of her best friend, Kuchiki Rukia and some guy named Renji Abarai were also big participants along with the four humans.

Keigo and Mizuiro had promptly become resigned to it, but Tatsuki took some time to get there, though she did it, in the end. But even with her incredible progress, now that she is finally in the middle of things like she wanted to, that same feeling came crawling back from the depths of hell where it had first spawned, and it doesn’t hesitate to continue tormenting her.

Some kind of resolution seems to be reached because Kukaku’s lips press together until they almost vanish from her face. She reaches for the picture that she deposited earlier, face down on the table, and easily flicks it over to show it to them.

For a considerately long moment, Tatsuki stares, uncomprehendingly, at the smiling man staring back at them.

The worst thing is that it feels like a joke to her.

“This is my late older brother, Kaien, and as you can see, he looks so much like Ichigo that at first, I thought someone was playing a prank on me.” Kukaku’s mouth twists into a bitter smile. “So you aren’t going crazy, kid. It’s just that our clan has a special talent of producing these similarly looking idiots in order to confuse other people from time to time.”

“But still,” Mizuiro takes a few tentative steps closer, brows furrowed as he studies Kaien’s picture, “that is an insane resemblance. You are first cousins, right?”

Kukaku shrugs. “Beats me how it’s possible, and yes, we are first grade cousins with Ichigo. And all three of us are second-grade cousins with Kaname.” She jabs a thumb to show the man over which this discussion began in the first place.

“This is just crazy.” Tatsuki whispers, shaking her head.

“Isn’t it?” Strangely, Uryuu seems smug about it.

Kukaku catches it too because she lifts the hand clutching Kaien’s picture and points her index finger towards him.

“You are on thin ice, Ishida. I know _all_ about it, so don’t look so pleased with yourself!”

Uryuu’s eye twitches at the reminder and his mouth opens to launch a barbed retort no doubt, but a set of doors is thrown wide open with an incredible amount of force.

Don Kanonji tiptoes into the room, forehead covered with sweat and all traces of alcohol gone from his system. Even with his sunglasses on, it is obvious that the man’s eyes move desperately about the room as he stands in the open doorway like a deer caught in the spotlight.

“I found a couple of lost gentlemen on my way back from the bathroom.” He barely has time to finish his sentence.

Renji comes bounding into the room, almost flying over Don Kanonji’s head. He makes a beeline for Byakuya and bows as deep as he dares once he’s a respectful distance away.

“My deepest apologies, captain!”

Byakuya shows no sign of having even heard him. His cold gaze slowly travels from Don Kanonji, who is still stuck in the doorway, to Renji, who is bowing rather lowly for a simple mission of delivering some documents to the third division and then picking Nelliel up from the designated landing point in the southwest of the district.

“You had one job, Renji.” The sixth division captain’s murmur feels like a shout in the sudden silence.

His lieutenant’s whole form stiffens with the simple accusation.

“And I accomplished it! But, _uh_ ,” and the simple sound speaks volumes, “there was another unexpected development, _sir_.”

Byakuya’s inner peace is none so gently thrown into disarray at the unusual honorific, so he has no time to react when Kenpachi all but demolishes his way into the room. The man’s imposing stature is made ten times more obvious in the tight space with a low ceiling.

One hand is resting on the hilt of his sword while his only visible eye critically looks over the group gathered inside, stopping on the two he knows best out of everyone else.

The simple sound of a sword being drawn raises the thin hairs on the back of Tatsuki’s neck and her nails dig deep into the skin of her palm to stifle the sudden trembling of her limbs. Orihime rests a warm, reassuring hand on her shoulder as Tatsuki unknowingly retreats in the opposite direction of the monstrous man.

“There better be a damn good explanation for this, Ikkaku, Yumichika!” Even the man’s voice feels like a real, physical hit.

Keigo whimpers and ducks behind the closest table while Mizuiro remains as still as a statue, frozen in place by the sheer presence of that man.

Both Ikkaku and Yumichika are presently sweating bullets as they stare at their captain, mouths clamped shut with shock and backs straight in the face of their captain’s irritation.

Renji hasn’t moved one inch since he last spoke.

Don Kanonji is plastered on the nearest wall, unwilling to take the risk and make a sound, lest he wants the crazy man’s attention to turn on him.

“Thank you for the ride, Kenpachi-san!”

A tall woman drops down to the ground and skips into the room, unconcerned by the tense atmosphere. She holds a smile on her face and her long hair is shockingly green in colour that Tatsuki almost chalks it to being dyed. There is a strange skull resting on top of her head, bone-like white and cracked. It reminds Tatsuki of that other guy, Grimmjow, and she wonders if this woman comes from the same place he does.

The woman’s eyes travel rapidly around the space and her smile doubles when they stop in Tatsuki’s direction.

“Orihime-chan!”

“Nell-san!” Orihime accepts her hug happily, but Tatsuki has no time to be stunned by their acquaintance because there is a sudden flurry of movement.

Ikkaku and Yumichika are in front of their captain in under two seconds, bowing as deep Renji is.

“Renji is _so_ going to get it.” Uryuu whispers and snickers. At his side, Chad grunts in agreement and Tatsuki wonders whether they will jump in to help if that really happens.

Byakuya seems to finally regain his cool as he stands up and takes a ridiculously long second to look from Kenpachi to Renji, as if to underline a point already shot to hell.

“And what do you have to say about this, Renji? Your only job was to deliver a set of unimportant documents to the third division and bring Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck here. What was so hard to accomplish that you needed captain Zaraki’s help?”

The savage and well-developed comment spills out of Byakuya’s mouth without pause or inflection, and by the end, Renji is visibly struggling to keep his respectful wits about him.

“Captain Zaraki, _uh_ ,” Byakuya’s fingers twitch towards where Senbonzakura rests on the ground. Renji swallows his panic and talks faster, “he basically hunted me down because he wanted to know where Ikkaku and Yumichika kept disappearing to and he wouldn’t let me live unless I brought him here. _Sir_!”

Somehow, Tatsuki doubts that the last part is a metaphor or even an exaggeration.

Byakuya’s eyes narrow into thin slits and his tone is deadly and detached when he says.

“Then you should have died, Renji.”

Renji’s head shoots up, expression scandalized. “ _Captain_!”

“You two aren’t slick either.” Kenpachi takes point then, just because he considers it his turn to lay waste to his subordinates. He shakes his zanpakuto pointedly and both men at the other end swallow almost convulsively. “Did you really think that I wouldn’t notice that you ditched your posts?”

“There is a very good explanation, captain!” Ikkaku shouts as loud as his lungs can keep up. “Please give us a chance to tell you everything!”

On the other end of the spectrum, Yumichika approaches this from a much calmer angle.

“We were here gathering information so that we could inform you in full of the situation, captain Zaraki.”

Kenpachi’s single eye shifts from one sweating subordinate to the other, probably considering the benefit of cutting them down now versus later. In one single fluid movement, he sheathes back his zanpakuto and more than a dozen people sigh with relief now that the crisis has been averted.

Byakuya snorts with contempt.

A scoff echoes from the other side of the room. All eyes turn on Grimmjow and his scowl.

“No fight? _Boring_!” The Arrancar boos for good measure.

The newly arrived Nelliel slaps her forehead loudly while Ginjo bellows out a laugh.

“Did you seriously have to cut your lieutenant down to the bone like that?” Toshiro mutters the question to Byakuya, who remains unmoved by the thinly veiled accusation.

“But was I wrong?”

Tatsuki should rightfully feel incredulous, and yet she is caught in a thick nebula of bewilderment. She cannot move and she cannot react more than to watch these surreal events develop in front of her very eyes.

This is how Aizen finds them when he carefully slides a compact door open. In truth, he is so late because he didn’t want to come, but Kukaku is a dangerous woman who does not forget. In the end, he decided that he will suffer through this ordeal so he may have the chance to get his revenge another time.

And yet, when he actually comes face to face with the dining room, there is a rather peculiar situation in full development. Aizen almost closes back the door, but they’ve already seen him, so he plays it cool.

“I see that captain Zaraki decided to drop by.” His smile is disdainful, and he receives a decent number of glares in return.

“Huh? What the hell is _he_ doing here?”

Aizen ignores Kenpachi’s question and instead turns his eyes towards the man’s lieutenant, who’s been trying to get his attention since the moment he stepped inside the room.

 _“What do we do?!”_ Ikkaku mouths the quiet words with a scary amount of desperation. His face is contorted into a painful expression that Aizen cannot, for the life of him, actually decipher, but he gets the gist of the problem.

Many of the others scattered throughout the wide space look to him, obviously about to ask if it is safe to tell Kenpachi the truth now or later. Though later, Aizen fears, might not come if they keep avoiding the topic.

Aizen should rightfully feel something like pity, but there is only irritation and distaste clogging his throat. Nevertheless, he schools his expression into something more sympathetic in order to appeal to the general public.

“I suppose that now or in the morning makes no difference at this moment. Go ahead and inform your captain, but I suggest that he remains here for the rest of the night.”

Kenpachi’s eyebrows shoot up but his subordinates quickly take the reins and from there on, a long, convoluted and hardly detailed explanation follows. Simple words are combined with exaggerated gestures and the story is repeated several times over until Kenpachi feels confident enough to summarize.

“So you are planning to fight your way through the royal dimension and rescue Ichigo from the Soul King’s palace?”

Everyone inside the room nods in confirmation.

Three long seconds pass by and Aizen uses them to sip at his cooling green tea. Then suddenly, a large, bloodthirsty grin stretches over Kenpachi’s face and the man looks a hundred times crazier than before.

“Count me in then! I’m itching for a good fight!”

It goes exactly as Aizen expected, and he sighs despondently and sits down in an empty spot. A thump comes from somewhere nearby and he takes a moment to study his next set of victims, freshly arrived from the Gensei. The girl and the steady-headed boy are trying to revive the clownish one from where he fainted.

 _There isn’t much to worry about then_ , Aizen concludes while he finishes his drink, _things have a tendency of working themselves out._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> big chapter today, you're welcome  
> this chapter was too cool and i will say, one of my favs


	11. Chapter 11

* * *

**_Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:_** _"_ _I had intended to take you back with me and re-educate you at a more gradual pace, but it seems there will be no time for that. I will drive you to submission and take you with me by force."_

* * *

He breaks into the Soul Society on a bright morning when the sky is so blue and vast that Ichigo is half afraid it will swallow him up whole. Small clouds pepper its surface but the sun shines and warms the cobblestone streets and the vast stone walls guarding the streets.

Ichigo directs his steps in the general direction of the Kuchiki mansion. His heart hammers inside his chest and a thousand doubts fill his mind, but he pushes forward, reminding himself at every step of the fact that Zangetsu is in his inner world, _seething_ , and that the vision he had of the short-haired Rukia might just have been a glimpse of the _real_ reality.

That is enough to fuel him with the determination and the energy he needs. Ichigo walks confidently, with his head held high and looks at nothing but the way forward.

People stop and stare, Shinigami gape at him as he passes – the savior of four worlds that abandoned the one he loved most. In truth, Ichigo hasn’t been seen around here in ten years and as much as soul reapers live long lives, they have an incredibly short memory. People climb fast through the ranks, and they either die or get dispatched, then others come to take their place and the cycle continues.

Ichigo would venture to guess that there isn’t an eighth seat in any of the squads who’s been around when Ichigo and his friends first invaded the Soul Society to save Rukia. Rumors spread at high speeds, but they also die out just as quickly.

It is a bittersweet feeling, walking through these streets and seeing the black and white uniforms after such a long time. Though, according to his grumpy zanpakuto, it hasn’t been _that_ long.

Because, _apparently_ , Ichigo’s been dreaming up the past ten years all along.

It is less than an outstanding feeling when he looks up and spots the tall, white, imposing and _not supposed to be there_ construction on top of a hill that he knows almost intimately. Ichigo’s heart falls to his feet when his brain finally makes the right connections. The result ends up flashing at the back of his mind in bright, glittering and neon colors. He knows that this reality is supposedly unconsciously designed by him, but what does it say about Ichigo that the _Soukyoku_ has been rebuilt?!

_“Maybe your prison is replaying some of your greatest hits?”_

Zangetsu helps even less with his inane and inappropriate comments, and Ichigo is just about to snarl something ugly back at him when a loud voice snaps him out of his thoughts and back to reality.

“Are my eyes deceiving me or am I just _insanely_ lucky today?!”

As if history likes to repeat itself, the first person Ichigo encounters on his way to where the Kuchiki manor should be is Madarame Ikkaku. The lieutenant is bald as ever, and his grin is as sharp as his blade. And, like usual, he is accompanied by the third seat of the eleventh squad.

“Kurosaki Ichigo.” Ayasegawa Yumichika elegantly raises an eyebrow, crosses his arms over his chest and seems relaxed enough that he takes his time to look Ichigo over. “You look on your way to becoming Ikkaku’s bald twin.”

A vein pulses in Ichigo’s temple while the unmistakable echoes of Zangetsu’s laughter filter through his inner world’s speakers. The former substitute soul reaper grits his teeth and tries to be civil, at least during the first ten minutes that he is here.

“That doesn’t sound bad at all, eh, Ichigo?!” Ikkaku seems obscenely ecstatic while Yumichika only smirks and flicks his long hair over his shoulder.

“Actually, it’s great to see you two.” The pulsing increases and Ichigo certainly hopes that he doesn’t have to ask these two to kidnap Hanatarou for him. “I was just in need of directions.”

Ikkaku releases a short bark of laughter. “You better hope that our captain’s impairment with directions didn’t pass over to us.”

“Speak for yourself.” His friend shoots him a derisive look out of the corner of his eye.

Ichigo wants to grab them by the scruff of those uniforms and drag them along. He’s wasting time that he does not have – not with the way his head still hurts and how his vision sometimes swims for long, horrible moments.

“The Kuchiki mansion, now please.” And that is as far as Ichigo can formulate his diplomatic request.

Ikkaku’s eyes narrow, but Yumichika has always been the more sensible of the two. The third seat extends a hand to stop Ikkaku from starting an argument with the one man they haven’t seen in over a decade.

Kurosaki Ichigo looks half a step away from setting something on fire, and if he wants it to be the Kuchiki clan’s mansion, then who is Yumichika than the perfect man to guide him there and firmly away from the barracks of squad eleven?

Ichigo follows at Yumichika’s short nod and falls into step with the two soul reapers. Surrounded as he is now, the trio attracts more onlookers than Ichigo did when he was alone, but he needs their help to navigate through the series of mazes that the Seiretei is build upon. He is unsure of how much time he has left until a disaster occurs or Zangetsu somehow dissipates into thin air. Things need to get moving where he wants them to _right now_.

The journey passes relatively easily, and Ichigo is more and more baffled by the less than stellar security. Even if the Gotei 13 officers know who he is, surely _someone_ decided to drop by a random captain’s office and announce his sudden materialization inside the Seiretei.

Ikkaku and Yumichika stop at the front of an imposing gate and step aside in unison.

“There you go, Kurosaki Ichigo.” The third seat gestures to the Kuchiki clan’s grounds and Ichigo schools his features into something tranquil in order to hide his sudden nervousness.

“I don’t know what you’re about to do, Ichigo,” Ikkaku starts and Ichigo’s never seen him so hesitant before, “but are you _sure_?”

He doesn’t even have to think about it too much anymore. All his doubts over the past few days have compiled nicely with the unanswerable questions he’s had over the years, and the resulting clusterfuck convinced Ichigo that action needs to be taken promptly. And if he does turn out to be going crazy, well, at least he’s gone and done what his heart is telling him to do.

“Yeah.” Ichigo doesn’t afford them another look lest the truth spills from between his lips.

He leaves the two men at the gate and walks resolutely through the Kuchiki manor’s garden. It isn’t long until a guard stops him in his trespassing, asking him to state his business there.

“I am here to see Byakuya and Rukia.”

The guard is promptly taken aback by the casual way in which Ichigo refers to the two masters of the house, but before he can promptly try to kick the rude visitor’s ass out of the manor grounds, a smooth and deep voice cuts through the rather shallow conversation.

“You are as unmannered as always, Kurosaki Ichigo.” Byakuya walks around the corner at a leisurely pace.

The guard hurries to bow in respect, but Ichigo keeps his eyes resolutely on the clan head. Even after all these years, it is obvious to him that Byakuya is not necessarily pleased with his unannounced presence inside his house. Moreover, the captain is undoubtedly confused by Ichigo’s appearance, after more than a decade of not visiting the spirit world.

“It’s nice to see you too, Byakuya.”

The guard sputters, but Byakya throws him a look and the man hurriedly retreats. Ichigo observes the minute changes in the man’s stance and the way he isn’t sure what to do with the expression on his face.

After so long, Byakuya is still a raging storm in a thinly veiled frosty façade. Ichigo is happy to find out that he is still able to grasp the whole mood of the man because this discussion will be uncomfortable for both of them.

Byakuya’s narrowed eyes are obviously asking him to explain himself and Ichigo allows a sliver of the bitterness he feels to come to the surface.

“I’m here to see, uh, Ichika.”

If Byakuya wasn’t surprised before, he is certainly showing it now. Ichigo thinks that he’s never seen him so expressive before, and it is certainly an experience.

“Why would you want to see her?” The raised eyebrows, together with his pursed lips and slightly wide eyes, make Byakuya appear like a completely different person.

Ichigo shifts on his feet uncomfortably and inwardly wonders about the benefits of just busting in without an explanation. Of course, then he’d have to pass through Byakuya’s bankai and a slew of guards. Ten years ago, it might have been doable, but today he isn’t as sure. Zangetsu snarls in fury at the back of his mind but Ichigo studiously ignores him.

“She forgot a toy at our house when she visited, and I wanted to give it back. I also want to formally extend her an official invitation from Kazui for a playdate.”

In particular, Ichigo is pretty proud of his explanation. His smug expression must be obvious because Byakuya frowns, though miraculously, he steps aside, inviting Ichigo to follow him.

They find Ichika practicing with her sword in the inner courtyard. The girl seems to be very concentrated on her task, but she must sense their approach because she looks up when they step onto the porch. 

Ichika beams at the sight of her uncle and runs up to the pair.

“Oji-sama! And, uh, Kurosaki-san, right?”

Ichigo nods with a small smile that he tries to make as real as possible.

“Kurosaki-san is here to return a toy you forgot at his house.” Byakuya’s tone is slightly scolding and it makes Ichigo want to roll his eyes.

Ichika frowns and looks up at Ichigo with her big, strange eyes that hold only a sliver of familiarity in a sea of nothingness.

“I don’t remember leaving anything behind at Kurosaki-san’s house, Oji-sama.”

Byakuya shoots Ichigo a look, but the former soul reaper meets Ichika’s eyes steadily. He feels his smile freeze into place on his lips as his gaze bores into hers, searching for any kind of possibility that Zangetsu is wrong. What he finds instead is the alien feeling of being swallowed up by a black hole.

“Are you sure? I found that black, floating piece of reiatsu in Yuzu’s room, you know?”

To her benefit, the kid feigns innocence.

“You found what?”

“Kurosaki-“

“I think it’s time to stop playing games, kid.” Ichigo wishes that his voice didn’t sound as tired as it does, but this whole slew of revelations came at its own price. He’s getting sick of running around in circles and he’s certainly ready to put this whole mess behind him. “I know what you’re on about, or at least I am starting to. Zangetsu is here, you know? So, tell me, how did you manage to control Yhwach’s reiatsu?”

Byakuya’s own spiritual pressure goes out of control in a shockingly violent flow.

Ichika yelps but Ichigo sidesteps the hand that reaches for his throat and uses his own to grab the young girl by her arm instead.

“What do you think you’re doing, Kurosaki Ichigo?”

It’s been too long since he’s heard Byakuya sound so abrasive and dangerous in just one sentence.

Ichigo retreats a few steps away with Ichika in tow. Her own spiritual presence is wildly fluctuating, and he has no doubt that her so-called parents must have felt it and are going to be here soon. He needs to move fast.

“Don’t you think it’s time to stop lying, Ichika?”

“What are you saying, Kurosaki-san?!”

With each word, Ichika tries to disentangle herself from his tight grip. She is the perfect picture of a scared child, close to tears and sniffing, but Zangetsu grouches that she is just acting and Ichigo is probably going to hell for this, but he believes him.

Byakuya advances towards them menacingly.

“That I know about the reiatsu and how things don’t really make much sense around here! And how I don’t know things that I should, I don’t remember stuff that supposedly happened, and I can’t explain things that should be obvious. Then there’s that thing with a crystal and somebody doing a ritual to me!”

Granted, on the last part he was getting pretty desperate, so his explanation is sketchy when it comes to what Zangetsu told him about the first few minutes after he cut Yhwach down.

But the words seem to make the cut because Ichika suddenly stops struggling and instead looks up at him with her strange, unsettling eyes. Ichigo thinks that he should see Rukia’s eyes, but he knows that pair very well and they are _not_ like this.

Of course, both of the kid’s parents choose that moment to materialize beside Byakuya.

“Ichigo!”

“What the hell are you doing, Ichigo?!” Renji brandishes his zanpakuto in front of his face, not even stopping to question much of anything.

Ichigo grits his teeth at the betrayed look Rukia shoots him.

“Just having a conversation with your daughter.”

“Like hell-“

“Ichigo, please explain it to me calmly.” Rukia takes a step forward, but Ichigo is too wired to believe in much of anything in this illusion world. He skips a step back then chances a quick glance to the limp girl in his grip.

Her face is downturned, and her other arm hangs limply at her side.

“Ichika, don’t worry we’ll get you out of that idiot’s grip-“

It seems that Renji is fated to keep on being interrupted today, but this time it is by his own daughter.

Ichika abruptly looks up to the sky and sighs.

The action looks strange on her eight-year-old self, but Ichigo has no time to ponder on it because he feels a dangerous spike in her aura and he barely manages to retract his hand before her entire left side erupts into Yhwach’s pitch black reiatsu.

“And here I was hoping to be able to play more with you, Kurosaki-san.” Ichika turns to face Ichigo, where he skidded back a few good meters away from her.

Her face is still devilishly innocent, but her eyes are back to being two voids again.

Ichigo watches with a growing sense of dread as the little girl tilts her head to the side in consideration.

“Nothing to say, Kurosaki-san?”

“Ichigo,” this time Rukia’s voice is filled with alarm and confusion, “ _what is going on_?!”

But Ichigo has no time to answer her. He ducks when Ichika swings her short zanpakuto at him. A wave of black reiatsu travels in his direction at a very high speed and he is barely able to get his face out of the way in time.

_“Not so sweet anymore, is she?!”_

Zangetsu’s comment isn’t helping his current situation much, and Ichigo decides to ignore him in favour of thinking about his next move. Unfortunately, Ichika is hellbent on not giving him any second to breathe as she continues launching massive blocks of reiatsu one after the other, without so much as a break in her rhythm. 

A rather large one that looks unnervingly close to a Getsuga Tensho springs into existence. It cuts through the manicured lawn, heading straight for him and Ichigo swears his heart out at his own powerlessness in that moment. 

* * *

These machines remind him of the R&D Division, though they are less rough and require a certain delicacy to handle. He’s learned that when his attempt at pressing a button got him three glares, a rather loud and scary sound and an explanation that he shouldn’t do that.

Aizen watches the three humans impassively, _not_ brooding over the fact that he’s being chaperoned by a man named _Don Kanonji_. His ‘supervisor’ has been trying to engage him in a conversation for the past half an hour, but Aizen resolutely keeps his silence and watches the proceedings with careful interest.

The boy named Mizuiro knows what he is doing, that much is obvious. His hands work quickly, first to assemble the machines named computers and then on the surface known as a keyboard. The tapping is slightly irritating, but Aizen can ignore it because strange things are happening on the computer’s screen.

Arisawa Tatsuki and Asano Keigo are less technically savvy, but they make up with hard work and enthusiasm in that respective order.

Tatsuki mounts countless wide screens on the wall in front of the two desks, who are no longer pressed against it, but instead, they have been moved to the middle of the room.

Keigo triple checks the radios and the cables running around the floor that Aizen considers as a health hazard. He helps Mizuiro with one thing or the other and then goes to give Tatsuki a hand in making the screens work.

There are four computers on the two long desks in the middle, and two more stand on opposite sides of the room, again using two tables as support. Aizen is unsure how so many computers will help, but he’s seen enough human television series to understand that maybe there is a reason behind the madness. But even if he hasn’t been able to decipher the mystery yet, there is still time to do so, now that he is in the middle of things.

“Here you go, Aizen-san.” Mizuiro slides a strange thing under his nose that he vaguely recognizes as a headphone.

Aizen gingerly plucks the object from Mizuiro’s hand, but otherwise makes no other movement because he doesn’t have half a clue what to do with that thing.

“You put it in your ear like this.” Mizuiro gestures to his left ear and Aizen mimics the movement. “Is it inside?”

“Mizuiro, don’t ask things like that!” Keigo whines with an amused grin.

“I think so.” The sensation is strange, and the object does not sit that comfortably in his ear, but Aizen will manage.

“Tell me when you hear it.” The boy says and turns back to his computer.

Aizen is about to ask for more details, but a loud screeching in his ear derails him from it. He almost rips that thing out, but he’s distracted by Mizuiro’s quick apology.

“Sorry! I forgot about the volume.” Another round of tapping and two clicks. “How about now?”

Another beep comes, but this time at a normal volume and Aizen sighs with relief, shoulders relaxing.

“It is manageable.”

“Good. Keigo, I think we are almost ready. You can take the radios to them.”

Keigo nods and quickly gathers said objects in two boxes.

Kurosaki Karin chooses that moment to walk through the door. “What’s the status, guys?”

“About ready.” Tatsuki answers with a grin, though it wavers slightly when she asks. “What’s the situation up there?”

The girl is obviously concerned about Inoue Orihime also going to the royal realm. Aizen has seen enough of their rapport to conclude that both girls care about each other very much.

“A real disaster.” One corner of Karin’s mouth twitches. She looks to Keigo, “Need any help?”

“Sure, thanks.” He hands her one of the boxes, then takes the other. They leave on quick feet, obviously not wanting to drag this on for longer than necessary.

“Anyone wants anything from the kitchen?” Kurosaki Yuzu’s head pops into the doorway. Kon hangs on one of her shoulders, but he jumps off and strolls into the room after a quick inspection of the space.

“No thank you, Yuzu.” Aizen answers cordially. “We are fine for now.”

The girl is still afraid of him, but less than when he randomly showed up at her family’s house. She only nods and disappears again.

“The great mascot Kon-sama is here to lift up your spirits!” Kon executes another jump and lands next to Mizuiro’s hand. “What are you idiots doing?”

“I’m trying to establish a more secure connection, but it’s hard with no real servers available.” Mizuiro explains and Aizen can basically see the words flying over Kon’s head.

Truth to be said, he is also pretty lost.

“But it’s not like the Shinigami have much computer tech to hack the connection with.” Tatsuki points out. “And they said that the research center has been instructed by the head creep not to help when they ask.”

Mizuiro grimaces. “I know, but I feel that it’s better to be safe than sorry. Anyway,” he sighs and pats Kon on the head like he’s a real pet, “we’re all set up.”

Kon shoos the limb away and fixes his hands on his hips.

“Good! I was getting bored.”

 _“Can you guys hear me?”_ Keigo’s voice filters through the speakers and makes Aizen startle slightly.

* * *

_“Yes, we can Keigo. Is everything set up?”_

Keigo shoots a helpless look at the commotion behind him and shakes his head.

“Soon.” He reports and turns back to the sizable group.

The first team is all ready to depart, but one thing stands in their way.

“And where’s this supposed to go?” That scary man, Kenpachi, lifts the single headphone and makes a face. “On second thought, don’t answer that.”

Miraculously, Yumichika-san figured it out on his own and is now in the process of instructing Ikkaku-san, though the briefing is slow going.

“Just place it inside your ear, it’s not rocket science!” Karin shouts loudly at Grimmjow and Keigo winces, fearing for her safety, though Toshiro’s presence behind the girl serves to somewhat reassure him.

“You talk as if I know what this rocket is!” Grimmjow barks back at the kid in front of him, who is half his height.

Close to the arguing duo, Ginjo and Tsukishima watch the show, amused. They are done helping both Ganju and Hanatarou with their setup.

Chad, Orihime and Uryuu – bless them – took the rest of the group out of Keigo’s trembling hands and made sure that everyone is all set up to go.

The only idiots unable to figure it out remain Kenpachi, Ikkaku-san and Grimmjow.

Keigo didn’t know what he expected.

“Like this!” Karin’s gesture is exaggerated, but her heart is in the right place.

Unfortunately, Grimmjow is exceedingly bad at following any type of instruction.

“Aha! Finally!” Ikkaku-san shouts triumphantly, but the headphone falls off in the next moment, much to the man’s irritation.

Keigo tentatively approaches Kenpachi, hoping that the dangerous man cannot hear his knees knocking into one another.

“C-Can I help you?”

Kenpachi looks him over critically and the young man feels like he’s being X-rayed.

“As long as you can figure this out.” The captain dangles the radio in front of Keigo’s face.

With a tremulous smile, Keigo makes some order between the two tangled cables and explains as simply as he can.

“You clip this someplace where it won’t get in the way,” he shows him the clip. As Kenpachi considers where that place is, Keigo finishes untangling the cables, “and this goes inside your ear.”

He holds out the earpiece and Kenpachi follows his directions. It takes a few tries, but the earpiece finally holds still and Keigo receives a nod in return.

“Thanks kid.”

Keigo offers a smile, inwardly elated that he survived and even got a thank you in return from the strange man. His chest is considerably lighter as he approaches the last problem of the morning.

The plan is to play middleman and help Grimmjow help himself, so the man’s pride won’t get tarnished in the process, but Kurosaki Karin has a temper three times as bad as her brother’s.

The girl scowls when Grimmjow fails in his latest attempt and, with impressive speed, she grabs the radio and the earpiece from the man’s hands. An elbow in the gut brings Grimmjow’s head lower and in her reach. She wastes no time jabbing the headphone in one of his ears, so roughly that Grimmjow winces in pain. Lastly, Karin clips the device to one of his belts and steps back to survey her handiwork.

The whole process takes less than five seconds, and it has most of the people gathered staring in surprise at what just transpired. Grimmjow himself still looks uncertain about what happened to him.

“All done! See how much you can accomplish if you shut your mouth for one second?” Karin’s smug smirk sends an uncomfortable shiver down Keigo’s spine and the young man realizes that she’s going to be worse than Ichigo when she’s older.

Someone laughs and the tense air quickly dissipates.

“Not bad.” Yoruichi sends the girl a nod of approval and a sleazy wink.

Toshiro still looks impressed, so much so that his lieutenant has to come and tease him for it.

“Remind me not to get on her bad side.” Hirako snickers as he walks up next to Keigo. The captain tears his eyes away from where Grimmjow is complaining to Nelliel right in Karin’s face and addresses him. “We didn’t manage to do a test run yesterday. Mind explaining how these things work?”

Keigo nods and turns to the massive gathering. The same helplessness comes crawling back.

Hirako seems to sense it because he pats his shoulder reassuringly, and then claps his hands loudly.

“Hey, hey! Time to shut the hell up!”

His efforts are not wasted, and soon, everyone is silent and staring at them. Keigo clears his throat, back to being a trembling mess.

“A-Ah, I need to explain to you how these radios work. The ones that each of you has is long-range, meaning that they can cover a lot of terrain. From our calculations, you can basically hear each other all the way across the royal dimension, as long as you don’t damage them. Which is the first point my colleague Mizuiro, who is in charge of the technical part, asked me to tell you.”

Keigo lifts one finger, as if to underline his point.

“Under no circumstances should you let the radio get damaged. Besides that Aizen guy sending you orders, these things are modified with sonar transducers that will be able to gather information for us about the presence of enemies in the palace. So, you need to always have the headphone in your ear and the radio at your side. They are already on, so please don’t press anything besides this button.”

Keigo uses Hirako’s radio to show the black button on the side of the device.

“When you want to talk, press the button and talk. When you are finished, press the button again and that’s it. Now let’s see if it works. Mizuiro, you can do it now.”

The young man speaks into Hirako’s headset. There is a pause but then a voice that many abhor filters into their ears.

_“Like this? It seems quite easy then.”_

There are at least five glowers and three growls, and that’s just how many Keigo managed to count.

“It’s working, Mizuiro.” Keigo says with a sigh, then looks to the assembled fighters. “Any questions?”

There is only silence until Grimmjow raises his hand.

“Yeah, what happens with this shitty thing when I am in my Resurrección form?”

Keigo blinks. “Your what?”

“I’m sure that you will find a way, Grimmjow.” Yoruichi takes the lead then, saving Keigo from an awkward and probably scarring conversation. The woman grins. “From the moment Karin-chan clipped that radio on you, it is your responsibility.”

She looks at them all then, and her presence grows more imposing than it was a few moments before.

“Do not forget that you are not here to do whatever the hell you want. The mission is to save Ichigo and there was a lot of effort made just to get here. I suggest that you take this seriously.”

Many heads nod in agreement with her words. Grimmjow clicks his tongue quite audibly but forwards no further protest.

Kukaku claps her hands to get their attention. She stands before the imposing form of the Shiba clan’s cannon. The rising sun bathes her in the shadow of the structure, creating quite a dramatic image at the start of the most important day.

“Now that we got the technical aspects out of the way, the first group can come forward.”

There are eleven people in the first squad, enough to make the Reishuukaku basically indestructible, but also dangerously crowded. Tempers usually run high in closed spaces, and with so many clashing personalities inside, it is sure to be a rough journey.

“This is the Reishuukaku.” Kukaku dumps the transparent cannonball in her brother’s hands and walks to the exit at the base of the cannon with a wave. “I know it’s going to be frustrating, but try to keep your cool until you land! You can kill each other later when you’re not traveling at insanely high speeds. I’m going to use one of the improved versions of the launch spell, so the time is cut in half.”

Ganju nods and only looks away when the door has been sealed. He then thrusts the sphere towards the center of the circle they have unknowingly formed.

“Everyone place your hands on the Reishuukaku and pour a little of your reiatsu in.”

There is some grumbling from the squad eleven side, and there are some uncertain glances from Ginjo and Grimmjow mostly, but everyone complies. Soon, there is a large, transparent sphere surrounding them.

They still have some minutes before the launch, so Ganju tries his best to do some damage control until then.

“Zaraki-taichou, please pour in a little less reiatsu.”

“Huh, sorry.”

Ikkaku grimaces when the problem does not disappear.

“Captain…”

Zaraki grunts and frowns in concentration.

Yumichika’s lips purse and Grimmjow grits his teeth.

“I suggest you tone it down a little more, Zaraki-san.” Tsukishima says amiably enough, but Kenpachi is getting frustrated.

“I’m trying!”

“Well try harder, Zaraki-taichou.” Rangiku flinches when the effect hardly lessens. “We are dying here!”

Chad grunts, sweat trailing down his throat.

“This guy’s a fucking monster.” Ginjo mutters under his breath, but in that closed space, everyone hears him.

At some point, Zaraki looks up with a pleased smile, though he didn’t do much than make it slightly less bad than before.

“That’s the best I can do.”

“What, you’re joking!” Renji says in alarm.

“Fucking hell, are you being serious?!” Grimmjow snaps. “This isn’t even funny, you didn’t put in any effort!”

“Guys…” Ganju trails off when no one seems to hear him.

“How did I end up the only woman here?” Rangiku whines to the heavens, sweating as well from the effort of keeping up with the crazy amount of reiatsu that Kenpachi releases.

“Is that all you want to ask before we’re blasted into the sky?” Ginjo says incredulously.

“Well, what else can I ask? I need to find a distraction because captain Zaraki is killing me!”

“Same.” Grimmjow agrees.

“Same here.” Chad mumbles.

“What a coincidence,” Tsukishima remarks dryly, “we all have the same problem.”

“What an ugly atmosphere.” Yumichika sighs loudly. “Uglier than even your faces right now.”

Shinji looks up to the open mouth of the cannon and beyond, at the reddish-orange sky, trying to figure out where he went wrong. The words escape him before he has time to consider their implications.

“We’re all going to die.”

And the cannon blasts them away.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the second team has an easier time finding a common rhythm and accommodating with the thought of working together for the next hour.

“You know, I’m actually pretty happy that everyone here knows how to handle their spiritual pressure.” Uryuu fixes his glasses with one hand, while he keeps the other one on the sphere in the middle of their circle.

Next to him, Orihime hums with amusement.

“I guess so. It was funny the first time too, though.”

The Quincy shoots her a bewildered look.

“Yes, between Kurosaki and Ganju who destroyed the Reishuukaku, and us sailing over the Seiretei, it was very _fun_.”

Byakuya snorts softly while Toshiro smirks.

“You guys were very brave to do that.” Hanatarou squeaks from between Mayuri and Nelliel.

“Brave or stupid.” In an unsettling rendition of the past, Yoruichi lands on the Reishuukaku in her cat form.

By now, no one bats an eye, though Nelliel does remark about the talking kitty with a large amount of enthusiasm.

“You were the one who came up with the idea!” Uryuu snaps, making Isshin laugh.

“And you went with it?” The older man asks. “Brave indeed.”

“Also, where is your radio Yoruichi-san?”

Yoruichi points a claw to Orihime, who smiles at him sweetly and Uryuu’s shoulders slump in defeat.

Mayuri scoffs. “I do hope that this time things will go much more smoothly. The shame of imploding will be enough to make me kill all of you.”

And isn’t that the crux of the problem? Uryuu is starting to believe that Kukaku, Yoruichi and Isshin chose the teams specifically based on the potential risk they represent to the transportation of maybe the most important thing of this mission.

The machine that Mayuri constructed to store and keep Yhwach’s concentrated reiatsu that the Outsukama gathered hums behind the scientist and Uryuu eyes it with keen interest.

From what little Hirako and Byakuya said about their quite awful experience in the twelfth division’s barracks – and from what else Uryuu managed to find out because of his high grade of involvement in this plan – the small Outsukama piece gathered ninety-six percent of the reiatsu that Yhwach left behind.

Of course, such a big amount was sure to bring with it bad consequences and no one wanted to risk it, so Mayuri divided it into little compartments, all stored inside the same machine that keeps them safe and kicking until they get to the Soul King’s room.

When they will have to make the switch, the machine will release the reiatsu into its inner chamber at the press of a button. Once combined, the large amount of reishi will then be expelled, they hope, right into the crystal, ready to take Kurosaki’s place.

Surely, it will be harder in practice, but Uryuu holds out the hope that with Mayuri’s expertise at handling the machine; Isshin’s prior experience as a soul reaper, captain, head of the Shiba clan; Byakuya and Toshiro’s impeccable professional competence; plus a good amount of dumb luck, they will arrive in one piece at the palace.

“Here it comes.” Isshin warns and the sphere buzzes.

Uryuu expels a breath and hopes that they will make it on time to save Kurosaki’s life.

* * *

“Are they all en route?”

You don’t even have to look at Aizen to know that he is having too much fun playing the mastermind again.

Tatsuki wonders what was in Yoruichi-san’s mind.

“Yes.” Mizuiro confirms. The headphones over his ears and the concentrated expression on his face have transformed him into a real technical professional. Tatsuki is presently impressed to be able to get a glimpse of this side of her classmate.

Keigo, on the other hand, remains just as goofy, though the young woman has an inkling that he behaves like that just so he can ease the tense air inside the small room.

“Connect me to them. I wish to say a few words.”

Tatsuki catches the look that Keigo surreptitiously shoots Aizen and she cannot help but agree. Those guys up there should feel better with knowing that they don’t have to be in the same room with the crazy bastard.

“Done, you can talk whenever.”

Aizen never takes his eyes off the image of the cannon up above the ground. Around it, several maps are displayed on the rest of the screens, such as the blueprint of the palace, the landing points for the two squads in relation to the royal realm and a live, virtual version of the blueprints where everyone’s positions will appear when they finally get there.

How did Mizuiro and Keigo do this? Tatsuki will never know.

“This is Aizen. You will now listen very closely to what I am about to say.”

Kon sniffs, stomps over to the other edge of the table and jumps off, probably going to find Yuzu or Karin. The younger twin has retreated to the kitchen, too nervous and worried for her family to do much else but return to her habits.

In contrast, Karin has taken it upon herself to inspect the perimeter, even though Shiroganehiko and Koganehiko assured her that they already have it covered. Tatsuki cannot fault her though, not when it isn’t only her family at the heart of things, but also Rukia and that Toshiro kid that she seems to like, both of them running right into danger.

“The strategy for the first group is as follows – Kenpachi Zaraki, Ayasegawa Yumichika, Madarame Ikkaku, you will head straight for the Vestibule city and start destroying everything in your way. Please do not hesitate to give it your best and make as much noise as possible. Grimmjow and Yasutora Sado, you will head north. Hirako-taichou and Ginjo-san will head west. Abarai Renji and Shiba Ganju, you will go east. Tsukishima-san and Matsumoto Rangiku will stay where they land. I want a synchronized attack, north to south, east to west, and you have fifteen minutes to do it.”

Aizen pauses then and Tatsuki listens on her own headset for any reply, but there is nothing but static in return.

“The second group is to head straight for the palace. You will touch down on Vestibule Road. Ayasegawa Yumichika will be there to receive you and safely deposit you at the entrance of the palace. Once inside, Yoruichi Shihouin will use her impressive speed to find Kuchiki Rukia. Ishida Uryuu and Kurosaki Isshin will cut a straight path for Kurotsuchi Mayuri towards the Soul King’s room. You are to rendezvous with Kuchiki Rukia and Shihouin Yoruichi as soon as possible.

Kuchiki Byakuya and Hitsugaya Toshiro will search out the palace and eliminate all enemy elements that might impose a problem. Nelliel will stay behind with Orihime Inoue and Yamada Hanatarou. From the entrance of the palace, you will be able to survey most of the battlefield from above with the help of Orihime’s powers. Yamada Hanatarou will use his skills with kido to monitor the situation inside the building. If there is anyone in need of medical help, you will provide it for both sides of the battlefield.”

This time, a string of questions fills the speakers.

“What should I do after I find Rukia and we rendezvous with Isshin’s group?” Yoruichi’s voice comes through, rougher than before.

Aizen doesn’t even hesitate. “You will locate the Gotei 13 party and keep it under surveillance. If they get too close, you have permission to engage. After they finish with their task, both Kuchiki-taichou and Hitsugaya-taichou can meet up with you.”

“Why not just kill the bastards from the Soul Society?” Grimmjow’s gruff voice comes through. “Besides, shouldn’t they be already there?”

“Not yet, Grimmjow.”

Tatsuki frowns at the self-assured way Aizen talks, as if he knows how everything will go beforehand. It is quite an unsettling feeling that she gets, though she hopes that it is only her imagination playing tricks on her.

“They will most likely arrive sooner than we anticipated. There is no doubt that the spies assigned to keep an eye on Kukaku Shiba already gave the alarm in the Seiretei about your launch. It is best to be prepared to confront them. I will leave that to Shihouin Yoruichi for the moment, but I will intervene if I see something that I don’t particularly like.”

There are a couple of scoffs and Tatsuki wonders whether they pressed the button knowingly, or it’s just an echo through the channel.

“Lastly, there is one other announcement I wish to make.”

Keigo and Tatsuki exchange a look, wondering what the elusive man wants to say now, on the precipice of such an important battle.

“You have already betrayed the Gotei 13 and its obscure, meaningless values and there is no turning back now. Whatever hopes of returning to your previous stations you still harbour, I would suggest that you squash them quickly. Whatever the case, I do hope, for your sakes, that you will not hesitate to dispose of any member of the Court Guard Squads that will stand in your way. Once you have agreed to this mission, you ought to accomplish it like you are expected to. That is all.”

There is a moment of – incredulous, Tatsuki thinks, _incredulous_ – silence on all channels before a million voices seem to speak as one. From between the indistinguishable sounds and words, Ikkaku’s voice rings above them all for long enough to be heard.

“Did you deliver the same speech to the Espada before the war, too? No wonder they lost…”

“Such wise words, they really touched my heart.” Even over the distance, Toshiro’s tone is clearly filled with sarcasm.

“That was, at least, well-articulated.” Byakuya will not even start on the content.

Hirako chooses to ignore the words completely.

“Do you kiss your mother with that mouth, Sousuke?”

“And here I was hoping for a promotion when I get back.” Renji’s joke filters through Hirako’s channel at the same time.

“Unlike you, idiots, I am too valuable to be disposed of.”

Mayuri adds oil into the general fire, but Aizen has had enough of these clowns. He gestures to Mizuiro to mute all channels and then orders.

“Pull up that trick you showed me earlier.”

Truthfully, Aizen was incredibly impressed with the skills these three kids have in handling the complex machines named computers. And what Mizuiro showed him earlier was almost surreal.

Mizuiro dutifully pulls up the 3D map of the Soul King’s palace that he converted earlier that day with Keigo’s help, because he couldn’t remember all the steps from that one Youtube video they watched before coming here. It really sucks that there is no internet in the Soul Society. Mizuiro fears that he’s going to need to haunt the Gensei after he dies since there is no way he’s moving into a world without the internet.

“Impressive.” Aizen’s murmur brings him out of his thoughts. The young man rolls his eyes surreptitiously, surprised that the stoic man is still so awed by his half-assed rendering of the image. “This will be indeed very useful to our plan.”

“The southern edge of the property is crystal clear!” Don Kanonji ducks his head into the room. He pauses at the sight of them. “Oh, Karin-san is not here.”

“Not yet.” Keigo turns in his chair to look at the man. “Did you really check out the whole southern end of the Shiba house?”

“Of course!” Don Kanonji’s answer is a touch offended. “I had to check up on the boobytraps Kukaku-san has in place.”

Keigo blinks, taken aback by the information that they are indeed inside an underground fortress.

“Huh.”

A sudden beeping from one of the computers brings all the eyes in the room to the glowing screen.

“The first team just landed.” Tatsuki reports, the words so alien, they feel like they belong in a TV show.

“Good.” Aizen says with every inch the smirk of an evil mastermind.

“Now the fun begins.”

And it seems like Tatsuki isn’t the only one who watched too many TV shows either.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyy the plot is finally moving let's goooo  
> please be impressed at Aizen's speech because he did his best  
> who would have guessed about ichika huh? 🤭


	12. Chapter 12

* * *

_**Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:** "It pleases me that you are not such a fool as to simply accept this [...] unquestioningly. However, your judgment is lacking. [...] You do not see? Then let me ask you this. Why are you alive right now?"_

* * *

Ichika’s laughter echoes eerily through the inner courtyard of the Kuchiki manor.

Ichigo has been dodging her blasts for five minutes now, and he’s getting sluggish already. The girl, on the other hand, seems to be full of endless energy and, since Ichigo’s assumptions proved to be correct, then Yhwach’s reiatsu that possesses her – or _she_ possesses it, he’s still unclear on that part – is obviously acting as her boost.

Byakuya, Rukia and Renji stand uselessly to the side and stare like idiots as Ichigo runs for his life. They don’t make any move to lift a finger and this brings Ichigo’s temper to a boiling point.

_“Don’t be an idiot – what can they do?”_

Ichigo’s eyebrow twitches. “They can stop their batshit crazy kid, for one!” He says through gritted teeth as he hits the ground hard, rolling to avoid another slash.

_“Only, you **fucking** idiot, that they **won’t** because **you** ’re not letting them to!”_

Muscles screaming in agony, Ichigo struggles to his feet. Ichika giggles again and jumps in the air, a big ass blob of reiatsu ready to be launched above her head.

_“Just as you’re still in your useless, bald body. Just switch already!”_

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, you unclear bastard!” Ichigo luckily avoids having his face razed by Yhwach’s stinky power.

_“It’s your imagination that controls this shitty place! The only one keeping you back is yourself, king. Just let it go and turn back into yourself.”_

“You are even less helpful than those three are, Zangetsu!”

“Are you still talking with your zanpakuto, Kurosaki-san?” Ichika somehow materializes on top of the wall behind him.

Ichigo is unable to dodge the powerful blast this time.

He’s thrown across the garden and crashes into the porch. For a long moment, all he sees are stars and all he feels is blinding pain. Through the ringing in his ears, Ichigo distinguishes Zangetsu’s swears and Ichika’s words.

“I’m not sure how he got here, but he really is a piece of work.” The little girl’s sweet smile curves nastily at the edges. “Almost had you, Kurosaki-san. Why do you have to be so stubborn? You could have had it all!”

Against all common sense, Ichigo scoffs at her.

“It’s just your luck that I’m a masochist. If I wasn’t, your plan would have worked perfectly.”

The little girl’s lips turn down into a frown and she lifts up her sword.

_“Just do something, you fucking-!“_

Ichigo clenches his eyes tightly, preparing himself to receive the blow.

Ichika’s yelp makes him look up and his mouth falls open in shock when he finds Rukia behind the kid, keeping her sword arm from descending onto him.

_“Queen saved your ass once again, you damn bastard. You better grovel at her feet in gratitude.”_

“Explain yourself, Ichika! Why are you attacking Ich-Kurosaki-san?!”

“Let go, kaa-san!” But however much she struggles, her mother won’t let go. “He’s the one who attacked me first.”

“What is this black reiatsu, Ichika?” Rukia’s eyes are wide with fear and Ichigo wants nothing more than to rise to his feet, but he is barely able to keep his eyes open. “Where did you get this power from?!”

Zangetsu is obviously right – Rukia saved his ass once again. She’s always here to save his ass, no matter what reality or what side they end up on-

_“It’s because you think so that she could move! Don’t you get it, king?!”_

The beginning of an idea slowly forms inside of Ichigo’s mind, much to Zangetsu’s relief.

_“I’m glad to see that your brain’s still functioning somehow!”_

Ichigo closes his eyes again and searches through his memories. Rukia and Ichika’s argument slowly filters away as he sinks further and further into long-buried memories, from a time when he felt that he could do anything he puts his mind to.

He remembers the beginning of the war, the destruction and the paralyzing pain, but he also remembers the few peaceful days before. Rukia had visited with Renji and Toshiro. Rangiku spent a week with Orihime, much to Tatsuki’s horror, because she was force-fed suspicious-looking food.

Things were good – and then Yhwach attacked, but even then, as much as his heart wavered, Ichigo never lost hope.

Not as long as his friends were there to fight along with him.

Not as long as they had his back.

Not as long as Rukia was still there to save his ass.

He conjures up that image, brings it to the forefront of his mind. Appearance-wise, he’s changed enough, but the problem is that his abilities also deteriorated with time. Zangetsu insists that this is not the case, and Ichigo seriously hopes so, because otherwise, they are _so_ screwed.

With a mighty surge of willpower, Ichigo imagines himself as he was ten years ago, still too young, but still able to make a difference in this imperfect world, still capable to trust himself and the people around him.

Still unwilling to listen to reason until Rukia kicks him into oblivion.

_“There we go – and it only took you ten years!”_

* * *

Rukia wakes up early the morning of the invasion. Her neck is stiff, and it feels like her mouth is filled with cotton – the perfect recipe to signal that she should stay in bed. But she pushes herself to her feet anyway, because today, out of all days, there is no chance for her to think about being lazy.

Like every morning, after Rukia dresses up, she goes to the King’s room to visit Ichigo.

The space greets her coldly, just as it does every other day. But this time, Rukia’s chest does not constrict, nor do her eyes burn. She smiles tightly instead, and it is such a strange movement that it throws her off for a moment.

Oh.

She hasn’t smiled in a while, hasn’t she?

It isn’t like Rukia was paying too much attention to the fact, but now that the notion is here, her mind dregs up memories of the last year in order to complete the somber image.

“Just a little bit more, Ichigo.” She smiles up at him and reminds herself that it won’t be long until he will be able to see it.

It feels almost surreal to think that the day has finally come. Rukia has been looking forward to it as much as she has been dreading it. She holds onto her fears, like a normal person would do, but she is also incredibly ready to put this whole mess behind her. Ichigo deserves the chance to live his life, to not be a puppet of the system, unlike her who has shamefully been one for decades.

They both need a clean break and Rukia certainly looks forward to it.

But first and foremost, her part of the plan must be put into action. The guys are on their way here and if nothing goes wrong, they will follow what Yoruichi-san wrote in her message. That means that Rukia must hurry up to the apex of the Greater Soul King palace, where the physical Key is deposited.

Usually, the royal guard can facilitate entrance into the royal realm, but in absence of one, the realm can also be unlocked from the inside. The easiest way is to use the Key located on top of the palace – the highest point in the realm. With its help, Rukia can temporarily disable the barrier between the worlds, so that the two teams can come through unscathed.

“I will be back.” Rukia pats the smooth surface of the crystal and forces her mouth to keep on smiling, despite the tumultuous feelings inside her chest. “You better prepare your ass to be out of there by then, Ichigo.” 

She is halfway to the doors when they open to reveal Reihachi, standing on the threshold, itching to come inside but knowing that he cannot. It brings Rukia a little satisfaction to see that, and her smile is more relaxed when she walks up to him.

“Yes, Reihachi.”

“Captain,” the man salutes officially and bows his head for a short second, “the preparations for the ritual need your attention, ma’am.”

Rukia’s smile falls and her lips purse.

“Right now?” She asks carefully and if Reihachi senses something, he doesn’t show it.

“Yes, captain.”

There goes her well, thought out plan. Damn it.

She needs to think fast, otherwise those guys will become paste on the first barrier of the royal realm they encounter. By her estimation, she has twenty minutes left, but that is not much, not when she needs to cover so much distance.

Well then, if she must do things the hard way, then she will.

Schooling her face into a casual expression, Rukia nods.

“Alright then. Lead me to them, Reihachi.”

And that is about as much as she can do at the moment. Keep Reihachi happy and distracted, stretch all her senses and extend her consciousness halfway towards the Key. Using the physical device would have been easier and less energy-consuming on her part, but then again, nothing ever goes according to plan where she is concerned.

Rukia needs to play nice until the moment she senses their approach, and then her act can drop. She will have to command the realm to open in those critical few seconds before the cannonballs hit the outer barriers. It is crucial that she times it right, but in the meantime, Rukia can let herself be distracted by Reihachi.

It is easier to keep track of traffic in and out of the realm when there is virtually none. This way, the appearance of the cannonballs will resonate even more at the edges of her consciousness

“Hurry up, Reihachi.” Rukia grunts and speed walks out of the grand room.

Reihachi seems baffled for a second before he regains his wits.

“Yes, ma’am!”

Back inside the beautifully decorated room of the king, the crystal that sits atop the marble pedestal vibrates for a moment, as if echoing some sort of aftershock. The phenomenon does not last long, but in its stead, a long crack slithers down its back, from the King’s neck to his thigh.

The doors closing mask the sound of shattering glass that accompanies its appearance.

* * *

Reihachi guides her firmly in the opposite direction of the Key, down to the lower levels of the Grand Palace. There are more officers and servants here than in the upper levels, and they all freeze and bow when she passes by.

“What kind of preparations do I even need to foresee?”

Just to make his life a little harder, Rukia pretends to frown and be disgruntled with the situation.

It is obvious that she accomplishes her goal when the man’s shoulders tighten marginally.

“C-Captain, there is the ensemble of guards from the Seiretei who have to properly purify themselves in order to prepare for the ritual. There is also the matter of briefing our forces for the arrival of the Gotei 13 and distributing them throughout the palace.”

Reihachi seems inordinately pleased with his capability to dish out grand plans. Too bad that he isn’t the captain here.

“The Gotei 13 won’t need a grand welcome party.” Rukia says dryly. “Keep back ten guards and send the rest inside the palace.”

Reihachi’s head twitches, itching to turn. “Are you sure, ma’am?”

This time Rukia’s glare is genuine.

“I suggest you stop questioning me at every step, Reihachi.”

It was fine and even expected during her first week here, but it is obvious that this man has never trusted her and never will. Whatever she does, that will not change and Rukia stopped trying a long time ago. Now she’s only irritated when he keeps second-guessing everything she says.

“Otherwise, I will have to find another chief of guard who is a little more collaborative.”

“My apologies, captain.” As if he means it.

Rukia keeps her chin up and counts down the minutes silently.

They enter the main atrium, make a left and end up in one of the large reception halls. Beyond it, there is a small garden designed and maintained by Onran’s men. This is where the convoy of priests is parked.

Rukia watches these high-ranking kido users from the Kido Corps critically.

_Twelve minutes._

“Captain Kuchiki.” They bow in unison and Rukia nods.

“Welcome. Is there anything that you need in particular?”

“No, ma’am, we have everything we need.” The one at the head answers smoothly. “As per our agreement, we shall wait for the captain commander to arrive before starting with the ritual.”

Figures that Kyoraku would want front seats to make sure that things go smoothly. Spirits forbid that Kurosaki Ichigo tries to escape from the crystal he is frozen in. Rukia wonders if the man sensed or heard something down the grapevine, even though she is sure that the others have been extremely careful.

She bows her head and leaves them to it, heading back in the general direction of the Key. There is no chance that she is going to make it up there in time, but by now, Rukia has resigned to her fate. What she searches for now is a remote corner where Reihachi will be easier to subdue and less visible so the other guards won’t see it happen.

_Six minutes._

“Is there anything else you want from me, Reihachi?” Rukia asks when he’s been following her for far too long. “Don’t you have your duties to attend to?”

“My duties are already done, captain.” He answers her evenly, not even bothering to hide the fact that he is stalking her.

“Joy.” The woman mutters under her breath.

Her feet bring her into a more remote corner of the palace, usually intended for high-ranking guests. Of course, this palace never had casual, high-ranking guests just showing up for a social visit with the Soul King, but over the millennia, there have been a select few who visited the royal guard under the pretense of paying their respects to the King.

_Three minutes._

Many dirty deals concerning the Soul Society were struck inside these expansive hallways, and Rukia knows this because she’s read about them all. Central 46 has too much sway to ever hope that there is any possibility of uprooting them from the essence of the Seiterei. But maybe, someday, there will be something that can.

Until that day comes though, Rukia leaves the Central 46 to their scheming devices, affords half a thought for what time it is and finds that there is only one more minute left.

If she concentrates, she can feel the approaching projectiles, hurtling through the reishi masses at impressive speeds. There is no time to really think about whether there is a right or a wrong anymore. And she is done with second-guessing herself at every step.

She is aware of Reihachi’s confusion when she suddenly stops in the middle of the corridor, but Rukia’s kept everyone in the royal guard at a certain distance just to avoid them being able to read her.

Rukia exhales, counting down the seconds. Only when she is certain that the cannonball is less than five seconds away from knocking into the first barrier does she call upon the power bestowed onto her when she took on the horrible mantle that she wears on her back.

With a flick of her wrist and a command of her reitasu, the realm itself trembles and rips apart at the seams, opening up a safe way forward for her friends. She leaves the invisible doorway open and the realm unprotected, but there is hardly any need to hide her intentions anymore.

A blade descends her way blindingly fast. Rukia intercepts it with her zanpakuto and they come to a standstill in the middle of the hallway.

“I knew you will betray us at one point, _captain_.”

Reihachi says through gritted teeth, or at least, that is how Rukia imagines him. She cannot say much, considering the black veil over his face.

“Congratulations,” her mouth quirks into a taunting smirk, “you weren’t going crazy. Though I must say that I did not appreciate your invasiveness, Reihachi.”

The man bares his teeth at her and bellows “Traitor!” as he steps back and renews his salve of attacks.

Rukia is hesitant to release Sode no Shirayuki, but this fight cannot drag on. Eleven spiritual pressures register at the back of her mind and that leaves her less time to act on her own part in the plan.

“Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!”

Reihachi lifts the long wakizashi in front of his face and jumps, intent to attack her from above. Rukia meets his slash head on, gritting her teeth against the considerable force behind it, even though she was expecting it.

She manages to push him away and takes a few steps back to collect herself, but Reihachi is relentless, just like she expected. Rukia’s been watching the training drills of the officers over these past few months, and she’s been studying and devising ways to counteract them efficiently.

They rely mostly on their agility and their speed. Whenever they strike, they are ruthlessly aiming for the vital spots, and if they launch an attack, they do not waver. Rukia keeps her eyes on Reihachi, not daring to blink, lest he disappears from her sight.

If he manages to slip past her guard, she is done for.

For the moment, she keeps on the defensive, trying to make it seem like he is overwhelming her while she prepares a kido spell. Rukia knows that Reihachi is adept at kido as well, but he seems too angry to be logical and this is her biggest advantage.

He slashes and sometimes launches an attack spell, which Rukia deflects and returns to parring. This seems to make him angrier, and Rukia keeps her smirk back as she lets herself be backed into a corner.

Once there, she makes her move.

“ _Sai!_ ” Rukia sidesteps Reihachi, who comes stumbling when all his muscles abruptly freeze.

The effect will last only a second because there is no way that the lowest Bakudo spell will impede Reihachi for too long. Rukia uses those three seconds of confusion to step back behind him, drawing a quick series of signs in the air as the goes.

“ _Geki!_ ”

The man releases a groan when his muscles become paralyzed again, but Rukia is not done. She is not about to risk having Reihachi running around the palace and getting in their way while they struggle to get Ichigo out.

Reihachi turns around and the veil in front of his face floats up just enough for Rukia to see half of his sneering face. Her mouth curves into a line filled with contempt.

“ _Bakudo number sixty-one – Rikujokoro!_ ”

Six rods encircle Reihachi from all directions and the man finally falls to his knees, though he doesn’t look any less defiant. Rukia respects that, but she is also operating on a no-mercy basis at the moment and she’s got no time to really drag out this fight.

Rukia kicks his blade from where it fell when her second paralyzing spell took over him.

The walls of the palace shake and the floor vibrates with the force of the distant explosions coming from the city below.

“You… will… fail!” Reihachi grounds out through uncollaborative muscles.

Rukia watches him with narrowed eyes. She knows what the chances are, but her friends are all out there and Ichigo needs their help.

She will be damned if she let the Soul Society steal another thing from her _ever again_.

“Only if I keep wasting my time with you.” Rukia raises her hand, fingers splayed in front of his face as she applies Inemuri over his consciousness.

Reihachi falls to the ground, immobile and asleep. Rukia considers him for a moment before she stabs Shirayuki into the floor and whispers.

“ _Juhaku_.”

She leaves Reihachi’s frozen form where he fell and walks with hurried steps through the perfectly whole hallway, pleased to see that no destruction was wrecked upon it in their admittedly short fight.

Unfortunately, she cannot say the same thing about the next hallway that she steps in because a dozen officers readily surround her, weapons at the ready.

Rukia sighs, glad that she hadn’t sheathed Shirayuki yet.

“Should have expected Reihachi to open his big mouth.”

Twelve blades cut through the air in her direction and Rukia lifts her sword in front of her face.

“I will be fast.”

* * *

“There is another squad coming your way, Yumichika-san.” Keigo dutifully reports and taps a few keys on his computer.

Aizen stands at the back of the room, arms crossed over his chest and eyes narrowed on the live maps at the front. For the moment, everything is going according to plan, but it’s barely been ten minutes.

Kenpachi dutifully went on full destruction mode the second he stepped foot in the royal dimension again. His subordinates loyally followed, while the others – surprisingly, thankfully, _miraculously_ – followed his directions and scattered in the four corners of the realm. There are two assaults left to happen, yet Aizen feels confident that this initial strategy will work out in their favour.

“Heads up, you got company at three o’clock.”

It is seriously surreal to consider that they are working so smoothly when three hours ago, Aizen barely considered teamwork as a viable solution.

“The second team is arriving now.” Tatsuki announces and Aizen sees the increase in the number of yellow dots on the map.

He carefully watches the red arrows that signal the enemy.

“Is Ayasegawa in place?”

Tatsuki taps a few buttons and nods. “Yeah, he’s there. I think they met up right now.”

“Good, have them hurry it up with the pleasantries.”

The young woman shoots him a doubtful glance, but she nonetheless relays the order lowly into her microphone. Aizen is pleased to see that the dots on the map begin to move, one faster than the rest.

That means that Shihouin is on her way inside and Aizen taps on his own headset and speaks.

“Keep an eye out for anything suspicious. I wouldn’t put it past Shunsui Kyoraku to send someone out earlier.”

There is a moment of silence before Yoruichi’s voice responds, crackling with static.

“Got it.”

“They’re inside!” Keigo announces rather loudly.

On the screen, several dots split and move in different directions, just as Aizen directed them to.

Ten minutes pass before his gaze slides over the map again and he frowns.

“Matsumoto Rangiku and Grimmjow – converge to Ganju’s location.”

“Alright!” The tenth division lieutenant speaks a little too loud into the microphone.

Grimmjow, on the other hand, is still unable to properly operate the machine, so the only thing Aizen receives in confirmation is “-ine.” and a lot of static. At least the idiot heard him.

“Captain Hirako, what is the holdup?”

“Please don’t call me that!” Hirako predictably drawls, irritated. “And regarding your question, well, we hit a sort-of standstill with the guards here.”

Aizen’s eyebrows lift. “And why is that?”

“’Cause they just took some hostages.”

A second of silence passes, in which everyone inside the room tries to make sense of Hirako’s words.

“Surely that must be a joke. Not only there are no civilians in the royal realm-“

“Oh, but there are, Sousuke.” Hirako’s tone drips with gravity and it cuts off whatever Aizen wanted to say.

He is thorn, mostly because he knows what is going on through his former captain’s mind. Aizen would personally just cut them all down, but there is no way that Hirako will. He might cut himself some slack and directly order Ginjo to do the deed, but then there will be a huge argument and he’d rather avoid that too. Whatever the case, Aizen’s problem now is finding out how, _exactly_ , there are _civilians_ in the _royal dimension_.

“Are you certain that they are civilians, Hirako-taichou?”

Aizen cannot really see it, but there is a conglomeration of red arrows on the map, though he’d thought that they signified only enemies.

“Yeah. There are fucking kids inside that house.”

“Report in full.” Aizen orders, mind whirling through the possible strategies.

It is Ginjo who speaks out this time.

“There’s basically a big house that looks nice, smack in the middle of the lower part of the city. We were just about to decimate the rest of these losers before they retreated in there. They took the inhabitants hostage and they’re saying that we should get out of the city or they will kill them all.”

“How many are there?” Judging from the large number of arrows, Aizen doubts that it is only one family.

“Hell, I don’t know. Fifty or so.”

“Fifty!?” Keigo slams his hands down on the keyboard, causing the computer to chirp out a short beep.

“More or less, yeah.” Hirako agrees.

Two fingers lift to pinch the bridge of his nose, the action a reflexive reaction to the headache-inducing news.

“If you think that’s bad, wait until I’m finished telling you the _local_ news.” Kukaku leans in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. Yuzu is at her side, face a few shades paler in the artificial light of the computers.

Aizen refuses to turn around, but the others do, with wide eyes filled with fear.

“What’s going on?” Tatsuki asks, one hand gripping the back of her chair.

Rather characteristically, Kukaku shows off a ferocious grin that tells Aizen everything he needs to know about her inclination to be involved in the fight.

“The Gotei sent a few officers our way. They just passed through the seki seki barrier and will be on us in under an hour.”

“What rank?” This time he does turn his head to meet the woman’s eyes.

Don Kanonji leans over through the space left, trying to listen in to the conversation.

“Less than lieutenants, judging by their reitasu levels. They probably don’t expect to find much here, but since the cannon has been fired twice, they’ve obviously been sent to investigate.”

A small weight lifts from his chest at the news. Aizen turns back to the large screens.

“Then I will leave everything in your hands.”

“For damn sure. I called Jidanbo earlier just in case. The small fry won’t stand a chance.” Kukaku pats Yuzu on the head with a reassuring smile before she looks back to the occupants of the room. “Anyways, I will take Karin and Don Kanonji with me because this is a good way to get some battle experience. Yuzu, you can stay here if you want, or I can have Shiroganehiko keep you company in the kitchen.”

The young girl’s eyes flit about the room for a moment, considering.

“I think I will stay here, Kukaku-nee-san.”

A muscle in Aizen’s eye twitches at the honorific.

“Please take care of Karin-chan and Kanonji-san!”

“Of course, kid!” Kukaku grabs the poor man by the scruff of his neck and drags him away. “Let’s go, Kanonji- _san_.”

Aizen listens to their retreating footsteps as they disappear down the hallway, then returns to the problem at hand.

“Captain Hirako, Ginjo – retreat to the edges of the city for the moment, and keep watch. Give them a false sense of security and wait for further instructions. They cannot do much, considering that the only reason they are still alive is because they are holed up in that house. I will think of a plan.”

“What about the hostages?” Hirako says almost reproachingly.

“It will be a nasty experience for them, but they will have to suffer through it, for now. I doubt that the officers will risk killing them when you are obviously following their demands.”

“For your sake, I hope you’re right, Sousuke.”

Aizen purses his lips and looks at Mizuiro. “Connect me to Shihouin.”

It takes less than three taps before he is speaking to the woman directly.

“Did you find her?”

“Not yet, but I already cleared half of the palace. The place is swarmed with guards.”

“Then captains Kuchiki and Hitsugaya will be occupied for a while. Concentrate on finding Kuchiki Rukia as soon as possible.”

If there is one person who can elucidate the mystery of the hostage situation, it is the current captain of the Zero division.

The maps are becoming steadily clearer as their pawns advance further and further towards the heart of the royal realm. Aizen believes that the sooner they cover all that blank space that is left, the better he can devise a proper, usable strategy.

* * *

The royal palace is a circular maze of hallways and hidden rooms, tucked in remote corners without any grand presentation.

Yoruichi never really hung around to study the place – or did something like step inside, if she is going to be honest. This is her first time traversing through the sprawling, impersonal halls of the secular building, and it is nothing like she expected. There is a note of detachedness hanging onto these white-grey walls, decorations are scarce when they even exist at all and the long corridors are empty and chilling.

Everything seems so impersonal, even to a person like her, who is barely materialistic to begin with. But the state of this place causes an unsettling feeling to coil inside her stomach and her steps unconsciously get longer and faster.

Yoruichi looks from left to right, senses stretched to the maximum, but seki seki must probably be combined with the base stone used to build this place. The reiatsu traces of her enemies and her teammates are muted and faded when she tries to get a read on them, but at least, they have not completely disappeared.

Unlike them, there are a couple of spiritual auras that _have_ disappeared in the time Yoruichi’s spent inside these halls, and none of them are coming from the general direction of her friends.

Only one explanation comes to the forefront of her mind and the woman pushes herself to go faster, even if she’s already passing through the halls like a blurry shadow. Nevertheless, she hastens her pace, because there is a nagging feeling at the back of her mind that keeps whispering, telling her that finding Rukia is even more imperious now. Aizen’s tone was as detached as always when he relayed the latest order to her, but the way he said it caused her alarm.

The man isn’t in the habit to _urge_ , especially when he’s said it once before. His word is law – at least that’s how it is in his head. But earlier, Aizen purposefully took the time to ask if Yoruichi found something, and then pushed to the forefront the advice that she should do it _faster_.

She cannot wait for this mission to be over, so that she can kick his selfish ass guilt-free. Even if it was mainly her idea to have Aizen give the orders in the first place.

The next hallway quickly comes into view. It takes Yoruichi a second longer than usual to stop because her mind is sluggish to connect the immaculate space she just left behind with the mess in front of her eyes.

Her hair whips at her face as she digs her heels into the wall and then slides smoothly down on a portion of unblemished floor. Yoruichi surveys the space that sprawls before her eyes systematically, taking note of the battered walls, of the scorched floor, peppered with craters and cracks. What furniture there was, it is now beyond repair. Beyond the thin bloodstains on the ground and the ice crawling up the walls, she spots Rukia and her heart leaps with joy.

The petite woman stands over her enemies, zanpakuto clenched in one hand and a short ice spear in the other. Her back is to Yoruichi, but the older woman doubts that she’s managed to remain completely unnoticed.

Rukia’s shoulders tighten two seconds after that remark went through Yoruichi’s head and the captain turns around with an unsettlingly chilling expression that immediately melts when she realizes who just walked in.

“Yoruichi-san!”

Yoruichi grins and waves her over. “Yo! I came to collect you.”

Rukia smiles and nods as she walks with hurried steps towards Yoruichi.

“Is everything going well? Are they-“

“Everything is fine, Rukia.” Even as she says this, Yoruichi prays that it remains so. She drapes an arm over her shoulders as they start to walk away.

Yoruichi keeps her cool and tries to answer as many of Rukia’s questions as she can, but there comes a point when it is high time that she reports to Aizen.

“I found Rukia.” Yoruichi says into the mouthpiece.

There is static for a moment and she smiles with amusement when Rukia shyly pokes at the radio attached to her hip. But then Aizen speaks, and Yoruichi’s eyes widen with every word she hears.

_“Very good. I will be direct – we are currently facing a hostage situation and I wish for Kuchiki Rukia’s input on the matter. Please hand the radio over to her.”_

Yoruichi gulps back the sudden nausea that the news bring her and replies.

“Got it. Rukia,” she presents the microphone to the shorter woman, “Aizen wants to speak to you. I will press the button, so you can just speak.”

Rukia nods and gingerly accepts the headpiece.

Yoruichi is unsure what details Aizen relays, but by the end, Rukia is shaking with unrestrained fury.

“Those bastards-!”

Aizen probably says something to cut her off.

“Yes, I know them. They are very nice, _good_ people that do not deserve this happening to them!”

Another pause.

“Of course not! They are unarmed civilians that only live here to serve the royal family. Their spiritual pressure is so incredibly low that they are almost undetectable.”

Aizen’s voice comes louder this time from the other side. Rukia frowns and Yoruichi wonders what in the world the man is saying now.

“Exactly. Let me go to them-Then _what_ do you want me to _do_?!”

Yoruichi watches her face for any clue to how this is going, but she has a hard time figuring out whether the younger woman’s wide eyes and the way she munches on her lower lip almost desperately are in any way related. The hand Rukia doesn’t use to keep the headphone into her ear clenches and unclenches spasmodically.

“But they are-!”

Yoruichi startles at the sudden volume of her voice, and by now she’s figured that Rukia wants to go help those hostages but considering what the next step of the plan is, that might be impossible. Aizen seems to be of the same opinion as Yoruichi, because what he says next has Rukia scowling, though the tension leaves her body and she slouches.

“Fine. I would recommend a swift attack, but it will be better if you could inform them somehow. They have reinforced rooms to hide in.”

There is one more comment from Aizen before Rukia promptly hands the radio back to Yoruichi, looking unsatisfied but resigned with the resolution they got to.

“I’m sure that things will work out, Rukia-chan.” The older woman tries to be supportive, even though they are in the middle of a battle. “We should concentrate on our own mission now.”

Rukia follows Yoruichi out into the next hallway, nodding. “Yes.” She pauses and looks up, eyes glinting with too many jumbled emotions for Yoruichi to make sense of. “What is our mission then?”

Yoruichi opens her mouth to answer, but it is at that moment that a huge surge of reiatsu hits them, so hard that the woman bends over. Beside her, sweat drips down Rukia’s face and her hands are visibly shaking.

“They are here.”

* * *

“I want Matsumoto Rangiku, Tsukishima-san and Yasutora Sado to head to the western city. Hirako-taichou and Ginjo-san will be waiting for you at the entrance.”

Aizen flexes his fingers, hands itching to conjure a kido or cut down the enemy with a sword. But all he is capable of doing now is directing events from a thousand miles away. Once upon a time, this might have seemed ideal, but after having been stripped of his powers for so long, he’s coming to miss the thrill of battle.

“There is a hostage situation that requires your skills. The others maintain position – I want no part of the realm unoccupied. The cavalry from the Seiretei is en route as we speak.”

There are three replies in confirmation and Aizen leans back in his seat. He returns to study the battlefield’s situation and is pleased to see that things are still going smoothly.

The number of red arrows in the castle has drastically reduced to half and he must commend captains Hitsugaya and Kuchiki for a job well done.

Yoruichi checks in then and informs him that she found Kuchiki Rukia, with whom Aizen has a fruitful discussion.

He is surprised to find out that there are non-combatants inside the royal realm, but now it makes sense. These people with low levels of reiatsu may be useless in a fight, but they are extremely good at doing the menial chores an officer of the royal guard would balk at.

And no one really expected to have a war happening inside the realm – not once, but twice now. Surely, during the fight against the Quincies, these people must have hidden in the deepest recesses of the city, or maybe they simply escaped the prosecution of the enemy because they have such low, undetectable spiritual pressure.

They are just invisible to people with big amounts of reiatsu simply because that same reiatsu cuts off anything below its level. It’s just like stepping on an ant without realizing it.

Unfortunately, the bleeding hearts of the people that Kurosaki Ichigo associates himself with have thrown a wrench in Aizen’s careful strategy, but it is nothing yet irreparable.

“Orihime, please proceed with treatment for Madarame Ikkaku.” Tatsuki speaks from the leftmost computer and Aizen half listens to her words as he continues surveying the map. “Yumichika-san told me, and I quote, that “the idiot is trying to get himself killed by bleeding like that” unquote.”

Aizen rolls his eyes while a confirmation resounds from Orihime.

The dots that signal Isshin Kurosaki, Uryuu Ishida and Kurotsuchi Mayuri are steadily moving towards the center of the palace. Byakuya and Toshiro diverged from their side not long ago, but Aizen believes that Uryuu and Isshin will be enough to keep away any daring officer looking for a fight.

“Nell-chan, you got four coming on your six.” Keigo announces. Nelliel says something then because the young man becomes flustered and rubs the back of his neck. “Ah, it means that they are behind you. Yeah, okay, good luck!”

“What was that?” Mizuiro’s voice sounds almost robotic.

“Apparently, Nell-chan doesn’t know what ‘on your six’ means.” Keigo stage whispers as he leans towards his friend’s computer.

Mizuiro hums but then stops, brows furrowing and turns his head towards Aizen.

“Rangiku-san, Chad and Tsukishima made contact with Hirako-san and Ginjo.”

Aizen nods, uncrosses his legs and stands to his feet. He takes two steps closer to the maps and, consequently, to Mizuro and uses the short seconds to think of the next move.

“Put me through.”

Mizuiro taps the right connections and flicks his fingers when it’s done.

“This hostage situation has taken too much time for my liking.” Aizen hopes that his tone doesn’t betray his inner irritation. “According to Kuchiki Rukia, the people inside are innocent and completely powerless. Thus, they must be protected, but not at the expense of your battle-prowess. That is why I want this matter to be solved as swiftly and bloodlessly as possible.”

He pauses for a moment to let his words sink in before continuing.

“Tsukishima-san, your mission is to distract them under the guise of negotiations. I will leave the dirty details to your discretion.”

Aizen can just see the man stifling a smirk.

 _“Understood, Aizen-san_.” It is easy to detect the amusement from the cadence of his tone.

“Yasutora Sado and Ginjo-san will stand by to wipe out our enemies once Matsumoto Rangiku’s assault begins. Now, for Matsumoto-fukutaichou – she will release her zanpakuto and use it to slowly infiltrate the enemy stronghold.”

 _“I assume that you already know how Haineko works,”_ Rangiku, on the other hand, sounds angry, _“so you know that to be entirely effective, I would have to flood the whole house and put the civilians at risk.”_

Judging by her words, Aizen understands that the lieutenant doesn’t get what his main aim is. With no time to waste, he summarizes his thoughts quickly and efficiently, though his words hold a certain amount of sarcasm that Aizen did not intend to add quite so visibly.

“Are you saying that you do not have such precise control over your shikai to make it slip inside undetected, warn the civilians by writing a message on the floor and then gather the ash together and attack? You will unbalance them for long enough that Yasutora Sado and Ginjo-san will be able to join you in clearing up the enemy.”

 _“Your plan’s all fun and games, but when do I come in, Sousuke?”_ Captain Hirako drawls out his question, but Aizen can easily recognize the warning behind the sentence.

Unfortunately for him, Aizen’s plan does not have space for blond, nosy captains with bad tastes.

“You will keep watch at the edge of the city.”

_“What!”_

“The Gotei 13 is on the way-“

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence. A hundred voices seem to shout at once through the speakers. Aizen struggles to distinguish words from raw sounds. By the time he manages to do it, Mizuiro is already looking at him with wide eyes.

“They are saying that the Gotei is there.”

And as if that particular revelation wasn’t dreary enough, an explosion shakes the building hard enough to make Yuzu yelp and duck behind a desk.

Aizen purses his lips. “Did they happen to mention exactly _who_?”

Mizuiro grimaces in denial but, shockingly, Keigo readily answers.

“There’s head captain Kyoraku, captain Soi-Fon, some people belonging to the Assassination Corps, which doesn’t sound fun. Oh, and captain Muguruma! Also, there are some lieutenants too, but my connection with Ikkaku-san got cut off at that point.”

Aizen reaches out to rub his forehead. That slick man Shunsui Kyoraku must have had a feeling, though he would have been a blind idiot to not realize that a third of his captains are missing in action anyway.

 _Great_.

Now Aizen has to deal with that load of bullshit too.

“Captain Hirako,” going back to the problem at hand, at least now he won’t have to deal with his stupid former captain’s whining anymore, “you have a new mission.”

_“I was afraid you’d be saying that. Kenpachi’s already dealing with Kyoraku – should I head for Kensei?”_

“As much as you’d like to, no. Muguruma-taichou’s presence is to our advantage, as he will not mindlessly attack our forces. Captain Soi-Fon, on the other hand, will be entirely too happy to do so. Subdue her as soon as possible. Mizuiro, please put me on the line with everyone but Ishida Uryuu’s team and Yoruichi Shihouin.”

“Ready.”

“As you are well aware, the Gotei has arrived. The troops in the palace will proceed onwards as planned. Captain Kuchiki, head towards the exit at once. You and Nelliel will aid in the battle against the Gotei 13 forces. Captain Hitsugaya, you are to continue to the King’s room and dispose of the remaining enemies inside of the palace. There is a clump of them to the south-east.”

Aizen pauses to take another look at the map. It’s time to move things forward.

“Inoue Orihime, head up to the King’s room as well. Yamada Hanatarou, you will join Nelliel and captain Kuchiki. You are to head west. Is any member of squad eleven still free enough to report to me on the ground situation?”

 _“Yumichika here.”_ Several explosions almost deafen them before the man manages to speak again. _“The captain commander arrived with two other captains, a squad of men from the Kido Corps as well as at least three dozen from the ranks of the Assassination Corps. Fortunately, he seemed inclined to talk. Unfortunately, he barely managed to take a step inside Vestibule City before our captain attacked him, full force.”_

The man sounds properly chastised, which is useless to Aizen more than Kenpachi’s stupid, one-track mind.

“And you couldn’t stop him?” He can imagine the third seat shooting him an incredulous look over the distance between them.

_“I’d like to see you manage that when captain Zaraki is caught up in his bloody world. Currently, he is still fighting with the head captain.”_

_Not for long_ , something at the back of Aizen’s mind whispers.

“Aid him in any way you can.”

“Grimmjow, Shiba Ganju, Abarai Renji – I hope you dealt with all the royal guard forces in your respective areas.”

_“What the hell do you take me for?!”_

_“Yes, yes we did.”_ Abarai answers much more diplomatically than the former Espada. _“And all of us felt it when the Gotei arrived. Permission to go and join the fight?”_

“Permission granted. Tighten the ranks and don’t let them pass through until the team inside the palace is ready.”

Aizen makes a cutting motion and Mizuiro interrupts the connection.

“What’s the status outside?”

“Well, there’s-wait.” Tatsuki looks up doubtfully and Aizen’s mouth twitches with a smirk. “Outside _where_?”

“I am interested in the events in our backyard, if you’d be so kind.”

Tatsuki huffs and presses around on the keyboard until a live image appears.

“You installed cameras, colour me surprised.” The man murmurs while the three humans exchange furtive glances filled with sly amusement, rightfully feeling victorious. Aizen misses the exchange, but only almost. “They seem to be handling it well.” He concludes and nods to Tatsuki in silent thanks.

“This is not good here.”

Everyone looks to the source of the voice and finds Yuzu standing right in front of the wall filled with screens. The young girl looks up at the map of the western sector with a furrow between her eyebrows.

Aizen’s eyes narrow even as Keigo leans forward.

“Yuzu-chan, what are you-?”

“No, let her speak, Keigo.” Aizen steps forward, testing the waters, but the girl seems less inclined to run away than she did yesterday. “What is it that you are seeing?”

Yuzu smacks her lips, as if uncertain if she should say anything or not. Aizen tries to make himself look less than whatever villainous image she has constructed inside her head and more like a teacher asking her a simple question.

“The number of red dots inside that house is smaller than it was when I got here.” Yuzu begins timidly, gaze flying between Aizen’s face and the lowest of the monitors. “And then I looked to this screen,” _which subsequently holds the city plans of the western sector_ , “and I saw that there are some passages crisscrossing the sewer system.”

Now that Aizen squints, he can see what she’s pointing out. There are indeed numerous possible escape routes below the concrete level of the city.

“Do you think that they are planning an ambush?” The former Shinigami asks, curious to explore the newest discovery about the girl who was, until now, the most unremarkable member of the Kurosaki family.

But it seems that Aizen was too hasty in making that assumption. After all, a sharp mind is deadlier than a thousand blades.

“Most likely.” Yuzu shuffles in place and her face colors. “A-At least that’s what I think!” She waves her hands in front of her face, as if to banish whatever gazes there are locked on her.

Aizen’s mouth curves into a placid smile.

“And you might be right, Yuzu. I thank you for bringing this to my attention. You have very sharp eyes.”

The young girl beams.

“Keigo, direct Ginjo and Yasutora to keep guard on the nearest tunnel entrances-“

“That won’t work.” For the second time in ten minutes, Yuzu interrupts him.

Aizen feels a muscle in his eye spasm, but he tries to keep a civil expression for the sake of not having to face the wrath of the other three Kurosaki members later down the line.

“Why is that?”

“Because the enemies can easily overtake them if they are divided. Send Rangiku-san’s power that you were talking about – the one with the ash?” Yuzu looks unsure, but she plunges on despite the gaps in her knowledge.

Aizen is impressed to see that she could infer the usefulness of Matsumoto Rangiku’s zanpakuto just from one detail-less conversation.

At their desks, Mizuiro and Keigo look on with interest while Tatsuki’s mouth hangs open in shock as she listens to Yuzu.

“Matsumoto Rangiku’s power is to control that large amount of ash,” Aizen explains, just for the hell of it. He is particularly interested in seeing where Yuzu’s idea is going, “and once it closes in large quantities around the enemy, it can cut wherever it touches.”

The girl’s mouth falls open and her eyes widen with wonder. Aizen wonders if this is it, but then she exhales and looks down.

“It may be useful to send it into the sewers to intercept the enemies. They will never see it coming.”

“Then what about the hostages inside the house? They are still surrounded by the enemy.” Aizen points out.

“Tsukishima-san can talk his way out of anything, I think. He may be able to keep them occupied until Sado-kun and Ginjo-san arrive.”

She is right, considering the range of said man’s powers. Yuzu lifts a finger to trace the narrow passages Aizen missed to include in his calculations.

“Rangiku-san will open the way for Sado-kun and Ginjo-san and they will surround the enemies inside the house from two sides.”

“With no chance to escape.” Aizen concludes approvingly. His eyes fall onto the short girl and she shrinks under his gaze. “A flawless strategy.”

Yuzu looks torn between being excited and afraid, still doubtful about Aizen as a person.

“Thank you.”

“You heard her, Keigo, Mizuiro.”

The two boys turn back to their computers to relay the news while Aizen turns his whole attention on Yuzu, studying her, trying to see into that dangerous mind of hers, but his abilities are limited to normal, human perception nowadays. He sees the flicker of brilliance behind those wide eyes and wonders when this girl would have shined, had things not gone in this direction.

Maybe never, and it is such a shame that Aizen can’t get his hands on this fresh potential sitting innocently right in front of him. But things are never set into stone.

Maybe he will, if he plays his cards right.

 _Maybe_ this girl is smart enough to figure it out. Chances are that she will get far enough on her own, _if_ she can even recognize her own abilities, which doesn’t seem to be the case at the moment.

Above them, a second battlefield rages on and shakes the building. Dust falls from the wall.

Aizen studies the western district’s map carefully, noting the possible paper-thin flaws in a plan that is otherwise perfect.

He shouldn’t have underestimated any of the Kurosakis because, at the end of the day, they are also one of his surprisingly successful experiments to begin with.

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

* * *

**_Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:_ ** _"There is something you possess that surpasses even my own power. Understand your place [...]. There is no need for doubt. You need only come with me."_

* * *

“T-This is dangerous, Kukaku-san!” Don Kanonji shouts as he dodges the snarling man with a sword running towards him.

“Hah, that’s nothing!” Kukaku kicks another soul reaper into oblivion, grinning all the while.

Don Kanonji stills his shaking knees, not about to be outdone and embarrassed in front of the whole spirit world. When his time will come, he has decided that he will become the biggest star in the Soul Society as well. This is no time to slack off, he needs to show off his skills!

“ _Kanonji-style final super attack: Kannonball!_ ”

His target’s footsteps stutter for a moment as the man tries to figure out the incoming attack, but the small ball disappears from Kanonji’s hand way before it could actually hit him. With a smug smirk, the soul reaper lifts his sword and advances again, only to be cut off after two steps by a small bead of reiatsu that explodes right into his face.

“There we go!” Don Kanonji takes a bow, though his relief is short-lived because another Shinigami takes the last one’s place, angrier because his teammate has been defeated.

“They sent quite an assault force.” Jidanbo observes as he bats away two tenth seats.

“Nice move!” The plushie perched on his shoulder cheers and the giant smiles at Kon’s enthusiasm.

“Oi, Kon! You should give us a hand if you’ve got time to cheer people up!” Karin slips under the edge of a blade and lets it fly over her head.

Kon sniffs and stomps his short foot on his perch’s shoulder blade. “I can’t do anything in this form! I’m telling you – if I was in Ichigo’s body, these guys would have been long gone by now! But those guys told me to leave it back at the shop-”

“Big words!” Kukaku executes a flying three-sixty attack that leaves the plushie doll speechless. “But you can keep it up with the cheering, I enjoy the boost in confidence.”

Karin scoffs as Shiroganehiko takes an attack meant for her.

“Don’t encourage him!”

A few meters away, Koganehiko renders another two soul reapers immobile.

The forces the Gotei sent are hardly powerful enough to be called seven seats, though they are huge in number. Kukaku was shocked to see them all gathered on the edge of her property, surrounding them with malicious grins not befitting of officers of the Gotei 13, who is supposed to protect all non-combatant souls.

There hasn’t been much in the way of negotiations either – these Shinigami are convinced that Kukaku had done something illegal and they are here to deal the consequences of her actions.

Against their expectations, they haven’t been able to, nor does it look like they will.

Kukaku is a powerhouse all by herself, but when Jidanbo and the twins are thrown into the mix, this army is useless. Don Kanonji is not doing too shabbily either, but Kukaku has one complaint and it is directed at her beloved little cousin.

“And what the hell do you think you are doing, Karin!?” Kukaku barks and the girl’s back straightens involuntarily. The woman’s eyes narrow, glinting dangerously. “You kept babbling about your Quincy powers. Where the hell are they then?!”

Karin grits her teeth and jumps back a few paces when another zanpakuto slides her way. Truthfully, she babbled and babbled, but now she’s in a real _real_ fight. Karin’s got cold feet and she hates herself for that.

Kukaku seems to sense that too, but her attention is stolen by the five soul reapers that surround her.

Kon, on the other hand, has a lot of free time on his plush hands.

He kicks the young girl in the head and successfully drives her away from an incoming attack. His aim though, was to snap her out of it.

“Hey, _hey_! Get out of your funk, it’s time to fight! What are you wasting your time for?”

Karin saves herself from getting a mouthful of earth just in time. She scowls in Kon’s direction.

“Shut up!”

But Kon’s known her annoying older brother almost as long as he’s known Karin and Yuzu. By now, he’s an expert on Kurosaki family mood swings and, while her sister has been unnaturally subdued because she felt powerless, Karin is strangely hesitating because she is still afraid of her powers.

_Stupid Kurosakis, always so dramatic._

“You gotta get off of it, you know? Ichigo’s never hesitated to jump into a fight when he got things to protect. Don’t you need to protect your brother and your sister?”

This stops Karin short, and Kon can just see the way the gears inside her head turn. He smirks inwardly, beady eye glinting from the powerful sunlight. So, this is how it feels to kick someone into gear – he can get used to it.

“I keep saying,” Karin clicks her tongue, but her eyes are scrunched closed and her hands are trembling while Kon silently encourages her by depositing his royal ass on her shoulder, “ _shut up_.”

A bow made of blue reiatsu springs out of her right hand. Kon studies it curiously and distantly notes that it is similar to what Uryuu’s bow looked like when they first met. The weapon is bigger than your normal bow, but it seems lightweight as Karin seems to manipulate it with ease.

The appearance of the foreign weapon brings a pause to the battlefield as every soul reaper turns to gape in her direction. Kukaku’s grin is wide enough to seriously unnerve Kon, but Jidanbo nods in approval with a smile. Don Kanonji joins Shiroganehiko and Koganehiko in their victory dance.

Kon, though, he is here to ruin the spunk she’s still caught into. Just because she’s got her weapon out doesn’t mean that Karin’s head is all in this battle. Spirit knows that he and Rukia-nee-chan have had enough experiences like this with that stupid Ichigo.

“Are all Quincies supposed to use this boring, basic bow in the beginning?”

Karin stumbles as the question meets its intended purpose. The girl’s scowl is self-explanatory this time around.

“What do you mean boring and basic?!”

Kon crosses his arms and huffs, supposedly annoyed. “Exactly what you heard!”

“I will show you,” Karin growls and Kon smirks victoriously. She raises her left hand and her eyes narrow, “ _boring and basic!_ ”

Her fingers grasp onto an arrow made of reishi and the first victim falls to the ground in the next moment.

The Shinigami is not mortally injured, but Kon didn’t expect him to be. He knows that both of her teachers – _Uryuu especially_ – insisted on the morality of only injuring to disable.

Their enemies finally seem to snap out of their own funk when the first in their ranks fall. They attack with renewed vigor, but Karin’s head is finally in the game. So Kon grips at her clothes and prepares himself for a bumpy journey as the girl jumps into battle along Kukaku and Don Kanonji.

The twins dance across the borders of the Shiba property, dodging explosions and cleaning up whatever scattered enemies they find. Karin does a good enough job of taking down her enemies before they activate their zanpakuto, though there are some close calls.

Thankfully, Kon is there to offer a surprise kick to the enemy and buy some time until Karin recovers from her moment of surprise. Her reflexes are still not honed well enough to give her a good reaction time, but then again, the release of a shikai is a new experience every damn time.

She will have to get used to it, but she has enough time.

“It seems like that was the last of them.” Jidanbou announces at some point, looking to the horizon with a hand shading his eyes from the midday sun. 

Karin’s last enemy falls a few feet away from them and Kon watches her carefully as she flexes her bow hand. There is a new light behind her eyes that Kon identifies as awe and he snorts softly. Ichigo had the same stupid face on him after he managed to cut down a particularly nasty Hollow with Rukia-nee-chan’s guidance.

With a grin, he jumps on her head and smacks her with a plush hand.

“Ya’ did it, you crazy Quincy!”

Usually, he would call Ichigo names and belittle him, but Kon doesn’t think that Karin will be very receptive to such an approach.

The girl seems to snap out of it and just in time, because Kukaku walks up behind them and drapes her good hand over her cousin’s shoulders.

“That wasn’t bad, kid! Pretty good turnout for your first battle.”

“Indeed!” Don Kanonji poses, unmindful of the shallow scratches peppering his body. Kon winces, he can just imagine that they must sting like hell. “Karin-chan is an amazing asset in the Karakura Raider team!”

Kukaku quirks up an eyebrow, unaware of the name, but she brushes it off and begins to drag Karin back inside. Further away, the twins are busy cleaning up the unconscious bodies of the enemy.

Don Kanonji takes a step forward, obviously intent to follow them, but the older woman whips her head to the side with a glare.

“The hell do you think you’re doing? Go help Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko with the cleanup!”

And to accentuate her point, Kukaku grabs Kon from his perch on Karin’s head and throws him smack into Kanonji’s face.

“And you better hurry the hell up!”

Kon cries silent tears as Don Kanonji grumbles a million complaints while he stomps back towards the twins and Jidanbou.

* * *

“I don’t envy you guys, but I envy myself less right now.” Shinji rubs his temples, not quite ready to head towards captain commander Kyoraku and that evil little hornet, Soi-Fon.

“At least you get to fight a real fight.” Ginjo scoffs from his perch on the roof of the nearest house to their target.

Shinji eyes him, silently considering the consequences of sending Ginjo off in his stead and screwing up with Aizen, but he dismisses the thought. As much as he hates it, that bastard Sousuke thinks through his plans before he puts them into action, a little _too much_ for Shinji’s taste.

If he decided to send Shinji to face Soi-Fon, then there was a good reason, or at least he hopes so because otherwise, Sousuke is fucking dead.

“We should get going.” Chad suggests, eyeing the low-roofed house on the other side of the street with trepidation.

Shinji knows that he’s not afraid of this mission, but he _is_ afraid for the civilians inside. Heart of gold inside a tough package, the fifth division captain rolls his eyes.

“See ya’ guys on the other side!” With a salute, he jumps away and heads in the direction of the biggest explosions.

Tsukishima watches him with slight amusement before his gaze turns to the only woman in their group. The lieutenant is biting her lower lip and it is obvious that she is in the process of thinking very hard about one thing or the other.

He is not in the habit of intruding into other people’s thoughts, but there is a very sensitive time-limit here and they are approaching it dangerously fast.

“I suppose that we should start with the plan.” Tsukishima watches Rangiku carefully.

She does not flinch or give any outward sign that she wasn’t buried deep within her thoughts. The long-haired woman only turns an inscrutable look on him before she nods tightly.

“I suppose that we should.” She agrees and unsheathes her zanpakuto. “Is everyone ready?”

Chad nods at once, but Ginjo takes a moment too long to follow. Tsukishima throws him a look full of meaning, but the man shrugs, as if unconcerned. Tsukishima certainly sympathizes, but they have no choice but to go wherever they are directed to.

Ever since they’ve signed up on this plan, they have become pawns in Kurosaki Isshin’s game, willingly submitted to be used however Aizen Sousuke deems it proper, all for Kurosaki Ichigo’s sake.

Despite his reticence in being ordered around, Ginjo agreed at long last to join and Tsukishima knows that the only reason for that was because of the respect he holds for Kurosaki Ichigo. They lost to him, but that does not mean much in the long run, when life can so easily be substituted with the afterlife and continue from where it left off, uninterrupted.

“Yes, we are.” Tsukishima offers a dry smile and graciously jumps off the roof.

Landing on the deserted street below, he slowly makes his way to the main door of the house with confident steps. The rest of the team heads off in the other direction. There are two main tunnels that need to be covered, but they are thankfully close to one another.

“ _Growl_ , Haineko!”

Rangiku watches her zanpakuto dissolve into grey ash as her mind still works on the logistics of what she needs to do. Truth be told, this is the first time she attempts such a high level of control over her shikai. Usually, she uses Haineko for straight, overwhelming attacks, but now subtlety is key.

The lieutenant exercises all the fine control she has to divide Haineko in two separate loads and sends them in opposite directions.

Chad takes point on the right-side tunnel while Ginjo crouches down in front of the left-side mouth.

Five minutes in and sweat already falls down Rangiku’s forehead, but her eyes are scrunched close, trying to follow with her mind’s eye the pathway that her zanpakuto takes. Haineko informs her as soon as reiatsu-holding lifeforms are within striking range, but Rangiku waits until the ash has efficiently surrounded them, leaving no way to escape.

When she is sure that all targets are properly encapsulated and within range, Rangiku clenches her jaw and wills Haineko to close in for the kill. She swipes with the hilt of her zanpakuto once, twice, as many times as she thinks it will take to cut them all down.

There are no shouts or moans from the tunnels, but then again, they didn’t expect to hear any.

Once she’s sure that all spiritual pressures have been touched upon by her zanpakuto, Rangiku releases her tight hold on her shikai and doubles over, hands on her knees. Haineko builds around her again, slithering through the gaps of both tunnel mouths.

Chad bends the bars of the entrance and slides inside easily. He’s lost inside the darkness in seconds.

Ginjo slices his own way in and releases a sound of disgust that has Rangiku grinning. She looks up, trying to see what’s going on in front of the house, but there’s no commotion or any action whatsoever.

What she sees is Tsukishima, propped on one hand at the gate and talking amiably with three officers from the royal guard. At one point they let him enter the garden and Rangiku uses the chance to jump back onto the roof.

She looks on with interest, wondering how Tsukishima managed to accomplish such a feat. The lieutenant has no clue about what powers the man hides beneath that apathetic façade of his, but this is as good an insight as she can get.

Still, there is no explosion or mindless violence that she has come to expect from the men around her. Tsukishima seems to peacefully keep their enemies occupied. He talks as if they are old friends and there isn’t even a note of hesitation in his stance when he gestures and laughs with them.

Rangiku is flummoxed, but she resolves to wait and see how this plays out.

It takes only ten more minutes for the place to become a small-scale battlefield. Chad and Ginjo burst outside, glorious in their success. All in all, the whole process of cleaning up the hostage-situation takes from then on less than twenty minutes, but those are precious minutes that they spend away from the main action.

Whatever the case, Rangiku smiles at the sight of the happy civilians they just freed. There are women and children, many more than men, and the lieutenant inwardly seethes at the bastards that tried to haggle with their lives so lightly.

Some of them wear light scratches, but a few have wounds that need to be treated. Fortunately, the lieutenant heard that Hanatarou is on his way to the battlefield, so she will make sure to direct him here as soon as she sees him. 

“How did you do that?” Rangiku asks around minute sixteen when there is barely anything left to do.

Tsukishima raises an eyebrow, as if not understanding the question.

Rangiku props a hand on her hip and studies the man in front of her with a scrutinizing gaze.

“Those officers,” she clears her point, “you were talking to them as if you were best friends. How did you manage to do that?”

The strange man smiles coolly and Rangiku frowns.

“That’s because we are - best friends, that is.”

His answer makes everything worse. “What?”

“My power,” Tsukishima slips a hand in the pocket of his pants, “is named Book of the End. It gives me two particular skills – one is to cut through anything, and the other is to cut through people’s memories and insert myself into them. This way, they get to experience their whole lives again with me in them and I get to see everything they’ve lived as well. So, in a way, you can indeed say that we were best friends.”

Rangiku’s hands tighten into fists, but otherwise, she refuses to show her alarm. If he is telling the truth, then Tsukishima has an incredibly dangerous ability. She is half-afraid that he might’ve done something to them as well, but nothing feels out of the ordinary, so she will let it go until she can prove the contrary.

“You don’t seem too excited to hear about it.” Tsukishima remarks as they make their way to the exit of the front garden.

Rangiku scoffs. “I’ve seen worse, but I do admit that it’s an,” she hesitates, because truth is, she doesn’t know how to properly describe the Book of the End without seeming suspicious or dismissive, “ _unique_ ability to hold.”

Tsukishima’s lips curl back and Rangiku is unsure whether his expression is supposed to be friendly or disdainful. One thing she knows is that it is _suffocating_.

“That is one way to put it.”

* * *

Their captain is having fun.

Yumichika silently muses that captain Zaraki is especially useful, bloodlust and all, but only in their line of work. He is the most hardworking person during these kinds of events, though the third seat doubts that their captain classifies _fighting_ as work.

No, work is dealing with the paperwork that comes with the captain seat, that he relegates, in the end, to the lower seats. Work means having to deal with the other captains and the run of the mill Shinigami that are well below his standards of what a capable fighter should be. Work is keeping his spiritual pressure sealed up so the cannon fodder doesn’t die by simply standing next to him.

Watching the captain destroy yet another building and burying another dozen soldiers, Yumichika muses that _no_ , this cannot be considered _work_ at all. This is simply captain Zaraki’s way of having fun.

The man didn’t even pause after they arrived. He jumped straight into it and began the demolition process of Vestibule City. Ikkaku, the blockhead, obviously followed their captain enthusiastically.

It usually falls on Yumichika to deal with the collateral damage that comes to pass, but that is the risk of the job. And somebody’s got to be level-headed enough to accomplish it.

Things were going well until the Gotei arrived. Yumichika would lie if he’d say that he hadn’t been terrified for two short seconds as he watched the captain commander’s feet touch the burnt ground of the city.

The delegation from the Seiretei consists of Kyoraku himself bar Nanao – _which is a miracle in itself_ – though he is presently accompanied by captains Muguruma and Soi-Fon, as well as at least three dozen Omnitsukido corps and a squad handpicked from the ranks of the Kido Corps.

Kyoraku’s face plainly explains his disbelief as he takes in the scene of the massacre. Yumichika dryly thinks that he is pretty unlucky to have stumbled onto captain Zaraki’s playground right from the get-go.

Captain Soi-Fon is less shocked and more explosively angry, while captain Muguruma seems unaffected by the fact that there is a squad of guerrilla fighters currently wreaking havoc in the royal realm.

Yumichika’s mind quickly forms a half-assed plan, but it has _some_ chances of working since he knows that the captain commander is less inclined to just jump into a fight. Maybe he can reason with him, at least to buy a little time.

Unfortunately, the third seat’s noble venture is trampled over beneath his captain’s feet as he comes pounding forward, no doubt because he felt the sudden surge of powerful reiatsu the three captains emitted when they arrived.

Already dazed from the haze of battle, captain Zaraki only grins, full of teeth and obviously more inclined to fight and less to have a nice talk.

Even so, captain commander Kyoraku opens his mouth to speak to the first captain he has encountered in the complete disaster that is the royal realm.

“Captain Zaraki, may I ask what is going on?”

Yumichika takes a step forward, intent to answer in his captain’s stead, but then Zaraki only levels his sword with Kyoraku’s head and declares.

“No need to get lost in the details!”

And with that, he dashes over to attack the _captain commander_. Yumichika just stands there, mouth agape and wonders _what the fuck._

What should they do now?

No idea, but at least Ikkaku is hot on his captain’s heels, though the idiot’s steps stutter when he sees _who_ exactly their captain is fighting against.

“Captain Soi-Fon, I suppose it is better to dispatch the Omnitsukido and see what can be saved out of this mess.” Kyoraku says between three parries of captain Zaraki’s sword.

Captain Soi-Fon wastes no time in doing just that before she turns her burning gaze to Yumichika and Ikkaku. The third seat is half afraid that she will jump to kill them, and the worst thing is, they wouldn’t even see it coming.

“How many more of you bastards are there?”

Yumichika does manage to take the reins on this one, mostly because Ikkaku is as bad as captain Zaraki and would take on any fight, no matter who the opponent is. But his friend knows that there is absolutely no way that they will be able to take on captain Soi-Fon by themselves.

“Many, _many_ more.” Yumichika makes sure to stress his answer and watches her reaction carefully.

The woman purses her lips before they curl back into a sneer. She flash steps out of there, but Yumichika’s relief is short-lived, because they’ve got another captain to deal with. Even if captain Muguruma is aware of what exactly is going on, his position is also at play here and Yumichika doubts that he will switch sides.

Kensei doesn’t jump ship, but he also does not stay to hang around too much in the captain commander’s field of vision. He will search for a secluded spot, maybe exchange some blows with someone, count the seconds until they free Kurosaki and call it a day. No one will be able to accuse him of not giving it his all where they can’t _see_ him.

Yumichika sighs when the second captain disappears. At his side, Ikkaku clicks his tongue.

“There’s only those weak asses left to fight.”

He looks over at the combined forces of the Omnitsukido corps and the royal officers, basically surrounding them.

Yumichika flicks his hair over one shoulder and says, “Then you should get to it, Ikkaku. Sooner or later, this will be over and then you’ll never stop complaining.”

Ikkaku scoffs but jumps right into battle and Yumichika is prepared to follow him, but Aizen’s voice in his ear promptly shatters whatever zen he had. The man’s mere memory is irritating Yumichika to the point of wanting to take that headphone thing out of his ear, but he stays his hand only because _there_ _must be someone level-headed enough left_.

With a long exhale, he answers Aizen, explosions running galore in the background.

* * *

Captain Hirako arrives not long after, though saying that he ‘arrives’ is more of a metaphor. In reality, captain Hirako flies over their heads and lands rather painfully on the cracked ground.

Yumichika winces at every big stone he encounters and at every crater that he almost falls in.

Captain Soi-Fon dashes after him, a dangerous look in her eyes and a delighted expression on her face. Paradoxical, but then again, Yumichika has learned to roll with it a long time ago.

Ikkaku seems elated at the promise of a new-old opponent, but Yumichika feels a headache coming. Nevertheless, captain Hirako’s appearance is the first in a long list.

That crazy ex-Espada, Grimmjow, comes blasting in, scattering the Omnitsukido like they are flies. He also has a manic grin, which does not bring Yumichika any peace of mind at the thought of having to fight alongside him.

Ganju Shiba is more graceful with his entrance, though Yumichika is even less inclined to let him watch his back. The third seat still holds a grudge, but it is a shallow thing, and he is not so low as to not admit that the man’s abilities are indeed useful.

A few blocks away, Renji’s bankai towers over the low squatting buildings. Yumichika guesses that the lieutenant has encountered captain Muguruma if he needs his bankai.

Someone laughs like a maniac, successfully managing to shake Yumichika out of his funk just in time for him to dodge and not get skewered by a Kido Corp agent.

The third seat grits his teeth, Ruri’iro Kujaku’s power pulsing along the length of his sword and beneath his skin. But there is no chance of that happening, not when there are so many eyes, seen and unseen, watching his every move.

He will look for his chance but until then,

“ _Bloom_ , Fuji Kujaku!”

* * *

Byakuya disposes of another five stray royal officers on his way back to the entrance of the palace. These halls are long and winding, but he minds the planning less than the absolutely terrible architecture of the place.

Nevertheless, Byakuya keeps his opinions to himself and makes it back to the entrance in under ten minutes. There, he finds Nelliel, Yamada Hanatarou and Inoue Orihime. The latter is fretting and keeps looking down the corridor, but her eyes widen, and her shoulders relax when she sees Byakuya.

“Are you sure that you will be alright, Orihime?” Nelliel asks with worry but Orihime waves her concerns off.

“Of course, don’t worry about me! I will take the route that Kuchiki-san used because it should be free of enemies now.”

And Byakuya cannot find any fault in her strategy so he gives her the necessary directions and then turns to the remaining two.

“We should get going, I suppose.”

Hanatarou puts on a brave face and nods while Nelliel simply sighs and unsheathes the sword strapped at her hip.

They jump off at the same time. The distance between the palace’s entrance and the city below is enough to make you think twice, but Byakuya finds no time to do so. He will simply break their fall with Senbonzakura, which will also allow him to instantly go on the offensive if the situation calls for it.

As he plummets to the ground, the Kuchiki clan head studies the battlefield critically. Impressed, he grudgingly spares his sister a few flattering thoughts because he never expected such a turnout.

He cannot begin to grasp how Rukia, by willpower alone, managed to convince so many volatile factors to join her in this suicidal mission, but she did it, and now the results are glaringly obvious and explosive.

Byakuya thought that he knew what to expect out of Rukia – in her situation, with her rank and taking her feelings into consideration – but he’s been vastly outclassed by reality. If _this_ is how far she will go for Kurosaki Ichigo, then the depth of her feelings is much more complicated than Byakuya’s ever imagined. He is honestly concerned, but at the same time, he has resigned himself to the brunt truth of it all.

If that _ryoka_ boy is her answer, then he will support her until the end.

“C-C-Captain Kuchiki!” Hantarou shrieks when the ground gets too close for comfort.

Byakuya blinks, confounded by his inattention, though he does not show it.

“ _Scatter,_ Senbonzakura.”

His zanpakuto breaks off into a million blades that he directs to gather underneath their feet. The impact is less painful than it would have been otherwise, but Hanatarou still manages to nurse a bruise because of his inability to execute a gracious enough landing.

The third seat looks around at the carnage and shrinks into himself.

“Uh, where,” the boy’s eyes flicker from one smoking mess to another nervously, “are we heading?”

Byakuya honestly has no idea. The only orders he received from Aizen Sousuke were to head for the battlefield and aid in the fight against the Gotei 13.

“We should search for the loudest place.” Nelliel suggests sensibly, but there is no need.

Several successive explosions point them in the right direction.

“Or not.” The woman sighs and starts walking.

Byakuya follows but Hanatarou remains in the place he landed, dumfounded.

“That’s not the loudest, that’s the most explosive!”

A hundred petals fly true towards their target and the royal officer cries in pain before he falls to the ground.

“I suggest you use those legs to move, Hanatarou Yamada.” Byakuya scatters his zanpakuto to cover a wider area. “While you still have them.”

The ominous sentence makes Hanatarou yelp and stagger to his feet, jogging to catch up with them.

“We should head westwards.” Nelliel slices through another two enemies that popped out from behind a building, hoping for the element of surprise. “Those were Aizen-sama’s instructions.”

Byakuya’s nose scrunches up at the honorific even as he nods, otherwise emotionless. Hanatarou, on the other hand, outrightly groans.

“Please don’t call him that. I’ve got enough nightmares as it is!”

Nelliel raises an amused eyebrow but remains silent as she guides them through the winding streets.

“Are you sure that this is the right direction, Nelliel?” Byakuya asks after a couple of minutes in which they seem to be leaving the explosions behind rather than getting closer to them.

Another one detonates behind them, far enough away that the ground doesn’t even shake.

The noble’s eyes narrow. Nelliel looks back with surprise but when she meets his eyes, they are serious and confident.

“Yes, I am certain that this is the right direction.”

“I don’t mind it.” Hanatarou quips and Byakuya shoots him a warning look that has the boy flinching back.

“Let’s hurry. I am sure that they must be somewhere around here…” Nelliel trails off as they step onto a new street. She glances up and down the paved road and Byakuya watches her shoulders gradually rise with tension.

Something is obviously wrong and Byakuya stretches his senses to catch it.

He finds at least three dozen scattered spiritual signatures in the houses around them, with four very powerful ones coming right towards them from the opposite direction.

Hanatarou mumbles something beneath his breath as he brandishes his zanpakuto in front of his chest.

Byakuya pushes the boy behind him, never taking his eyes off the street in front of them.

Nelliel advances a few steps forward, the grip on her sword tightening with each meter she gains.

For a long moment, it’s as if the world holds its breath before all hell breaks loose.

Fittingly, it begins with something falling from the sky. It’s in the shape of a man and it shines for a long moment under whatever sun there exists in the royal realm. Byakuya watches it falls to the ground impassively and only too late does he realize who, exactly, that is.

Madarame Ikkaku’s fall is a signal to the horde of royal officers to exit their hiding spaces and attack.

But Byakuya and Nelliel simultaneously decide, without consulting one another, to target the biggest signatures and leave the cannon fodder to the other. Thus, Hantarou is left in the middle of the pandemonium, alone, with a half-conscious Ikkaku to care for and an army’s worth of enemies to fend off.

The boy’s cry of fear is overshadowed by the appearance of the four signatures. They fly out of their hiding hole and come straight for Nelliel and Byakuya, who by now have both realized that they could have planned this better.

“ _Growl_ , Haineko!”

“Finally, a good fucking fight- _huh_?”

Byakuya’s sword – now in solid form again – clashes with a longer, wider one. Nelliel is surrounded by a cloud of grey ash while she struggles to keep a katana from cleaving through her throat.

“Eh? Captain Kuchiki?” Matsumoto Rangiku blinks at the two people they just encountered. Haineko returns to its hilt and solidifies into a straight-bladed sword again.

Tsukishima retracts his katana, casually unconcerned about the turn of events. Chad raises a hand in greeting, both of his arms covered by his fullbring.

“You’ve got to be shitting me!” Ginjo growls and jabs his sword into the ground angrily.

Byakuya raises a questioning eyebrow as he lowers his sword.

“What are you doing here?” The captain asks and Rangiku rushes to explain.

“We freed the hostages and were returning to the battlefield. What about you? The main fight is in that direction!” The lieutenant points to where most of the disaster is concentrated.

Byakuya shoots Nelliel an accusing look, but the Arrancar just huffs.

“We were ordered to bring Hanatarou Yamada westward.” She says by way of explanation.

Rangiku’s eyes light up.

“Oh, that’s great! I was actually looking for him. Some of the hostages need medical attention.”

Byakuya is unsure whether to be frustrated or angry that Aizen has already considered all these possibilities.

“Then we completed our mission.”

“I suppose so.” Tsukishima smiles blandly. “The place is not far, just three streets away.”

Chad grunts. “We cleared them up so it’s safe to go without worry.”

“That’s good!” Nelliel smiles warmly.

A short pause follows before Ginjo rests his forearms on the wide guard of his sword and asks. 

“So, where’s this Hanatarou?” The man looks around the battlefield pointedly.

There are only royal guard officers peppered up and down the street.

Byakuya feels his stomach plummet when he remembers this little detail, but Nelliel is much more explicit in her words and her actions.

“Shit! He was-“

A Shakaho shakes the ground and, from the smoking crater, Hanatarou emerges with an immobile Ikkaku at his feet. Two men fall but seven more take their place and the medic pales under the dust spattered all over his face.

“Captain Kuchiki! Nelliel-san!” Hanatarou all but wails and the whole group springs into action.

Byakuya will have to have a talk to Hanatarou, maybe apologize and definitely ask the boy not to mention to his captain that they’ve forgotten about him. He fears that squad six will not be permitted to access squad four’s help ever again if that happens.

They send Hanatarou on his way to the former hostages in record time. The biggest issue was deciding who will accompany him since the third seat is one of the only two medics available and the only one on _this_ battlefield. Fortunately, the answer came in the form of Ikkaku’s half-delirious form.

Hanatarou did quick work of patching him up in order to not completely bleed out which, in squad eleven terms, means that he was fine enough to walk. But the healer insisted that he was far from finished, so everyone voted Ikkaku to stay behind with Hanatarou, benefit from full treatment, guard him in case the enemy attacks and bring him back into the heart of things once his task is done.

With seven votes against one, Ikkaku grudgingly agreed with a specific warning in Hanatarou’s direction that he should be as fast as humanly possible.

Byakuya keeps on watching them until they disappear – Hanatarou jogging and Ikkaku dragging his feet because he’s still half-dead – and only turns around when he is sure that they encountered no resistance on the street ahead.

“What’s the status there?” Rangiku asks as they speed over the low buildings of the city.

“I was not informed.” The captain answers simply.

“Aizen-sama only directed us to deliver Hanatarou out west.” Nelliel supplies.

Rangiku gags and Byakuya can sympathize.

“Please don’t call him that.”

The former Espada shoots the woman a funny look but does not comment.

“For his sake, Aizen should have better kept a good fight for me.” Ginjo seems half a minute away from an aneurism.

“I suppose that it would be useless to ask you to calm down, Ginjo.” Tsukishima murmurs and Ginjo grunts, gaze never leaving the animated horizon.

Chad exchanges a look full of meaning with Rangiku while Byakuya simply shakes his head with derision.

“I know two guys just like you.” Nelliel says airily.

“Oh, really.” The former substitute Shinigami doesn’t seem much inclined to exchange opinions. “Where are they now?”

A building shudders and starts falling apart to their left. The group veers right and continues on a path filled with craters.

“One of them is dead,” Nell says, tone heavy with emotions a touch too complicated to try and decipher without context, “and the other-“

She cannot finish because the subject of her sentence comes rolling down the street below. The group stops to stare at the unfolding disaster.

Grimmjow collides with the nearest building, but he jumps to his feet in the next second and navigates through the rubble with a wide grin full of teeth and blood.

“So you _can_ hit!”

Yadomaru Lisa strides into view, sword unsheathed and a scowl over her face.

“Only because you asked so nicely.”

“Shit, captain Yadomaru!” Rangiku hisses through her teeth, ducking behind the low concrete fence of their building’s rooftop.

Byakuya watches her with confusion before his eyes inadvertently turn back to captain Yadomaru. She is one of the Vizards, so she must also know what is going on here.

The question is – _does Aizen_?

Lisa notices their presence and she looks up with a glare.

“I hope you’re not here to fight me!” It sounds like a threat, but in reality, it is more of a complaint.

“Not with that attitude.” Ginjo mumbles and dashes away, heading deeper inside the battlefield.

Late, much too late, there is a crackle in their ears.

_“I’ve been informed that two other captains have joined the fight on the Gotei’s side. Yadomaru Lisa and Tetsuzaemon Iba.”_

Rangiku chokes on her spit.

_“I am certain that you will be able to deal with them accordingly.”_

_“Colour me surprised that the captain commander actually sent for reinforcements.”_ Comes Toshiro’s dry reply and Byakuya cannot help the comment that flies past his lips.

“Keep your surprise for when the lieutenants start to appear.”

A snort punctuates the crackling sound of the radio frequency.

_“Are there even any more captains available?!_ ” Shinji shouts into his earpiece and an explosion subtly underlines his words. _“We’re like eleven here!”_

And isn’t that the surreal truth?

The Seiretei has been left in the care of captain Kotetsu Isane and captain Roujuurou Outoribashi. Byakuya doesn’t know which one he trusts less, but for the sake of his squad, he will go with the latter.

_“Obviously not,”_ Toshiro answers immediately, _“that’s why captain Kuchiki suggested that we prepare a welcome party for the lieutenants.”_

Byakuya’s lips twitch into the smallest of smirks.

Down below, Grimmjow ignores the conversation and launches another powerful attack in Lisa’s direction.

_“As much as I enjoy listening to this fruitful conversation you are having,”_ there is amusement dancing in Aizen’s voice and Byakuya doesn’t like it one bit, _“this is not the time. Please head to your stations and follow the two directions I gave you.”_

_“Stations?”_

_“Did he say something about the lieute-“_

_“What stations?”_

There is a certain hazard present when you have so many people on the line.

_“Not to be a party pooper, Sousuke,”_ Shinji sounds properly unapologetic, _“but would you mind repeating those directions for the sake of your elders?”_

_“Actually, first he could explain about the stations.”_

This time, Byakuya identifies Renji as the speaker.

“We should hurry up.” Nelliel points to an area two blocks away, where a large column of smoke climbs into the sky.

Tsukishima exhales loudly and brings up the rear while Byakuya makes sure to monitor whatever bullshit Aizen says next. At least, they should keep up with the madness, even if they wish to have no part in it.

The sixth division captain can just image Aizen pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation and the thought brings a visible skip to his step, but that is only for Byakuya to know and revel in.

_“Your station is Vestibule city, smack in the middle of it and protecting the palace with your lives. As for your directions, captain Hirako,”_ Aizen’s voice lifts into a sneer, much like his lips, most probably, _“Distract the Gotei 13 and try not to distract_ me _, as I have to oversee the extraction of Kurosaki Ichigo’s butt out of a certain crystal in the next half an hour.”_

His words bring a sober wave of tension to wash over their heads. All jokes are set aside and Aizen’s orders are grudgingly accepted as the fighters pose and prepare for the next incoming wave of attacks. The Gotei’s assault will surely increase in power and fervor the closer the moment of the ritual gets.

_“Got it, Sousuke. Be sure not to damage the goods.”_ Hirako sounds precariously serious when he speaks.

Byakuya sighs and unsheathes Senbonzakura, clutching the hilt in a tighter grip than usual.

Months of preparations and it all comes down to this.

Rukia and the others need to succeed, but for that to happen, the team on the ground needs to facilitate the security and the peace for them to do it.

And even if it is the last thing he does, Byakuya intends to do his best to accomplish this task.

* * *


	14. Chapter 14

* * *

**_Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:_ ** _"Farewell, Ichigo Kurosaki. I will come for you again. So heal your wounds and wait, my precious son...born in the dark."_

* * *

Uryuu feels as if they’ve been running for a hundred years.

What memories he had of this place left from the war pale in comparison with the monstrosity that just wants to swallow them whole. Interminable flights of stairs, long and twisting hallways, countless doors that can hide enemies.

And that is only the first floor.

They pass by so many places that Uryuu loses count of them all.

One thing he is sure of though – Rukia has been occupied.

One year ago, the fight left in its wake more rubble than standing walls, and yet today the building is in perfect condition. The Quincy has no doubt that the first thing the royal guard did was to start rebuilding the palace, yet he cannot imagine that they accomplished much of anything when the palace wasn’t the only thing suffering.

By some miracle, they aren’t saddled with carrying Mayuri’s demonic invention up the stairs or lugging it around these interminable corridors. The madman finally proved that he was a scientist when he designed the thing with a propulsion system that keeps it floating all the time.

Mayuri only needs to hold its leash and he looks much like a kid with an oversized and expensive balloon that holds the future of four dimensions within its metallic tank.

_So, no pressure._

In another, more surprising twist, both of his companions are studiously silent. So much so that Uryuu is starting to become unnerved. These two men in particular can never stop blabbering, but neither makes any attempt at a comment or an argument.

It suits the young man well enough, but the tension steadily rises with each floor they climb.

Uryuu estimates that they’ve been running for around twenty minutes when Mayuri finally opens his mouth.

“How much longer, Ishida Uryuu? We’ve been walking for twenty-three minutes and fifty-four seconds. For your good, I hope that you know the right way to the throne room.”

First and foremost, Uryuu rolls his eyes.

He vaguely remembers his promise to kill Mayuri, but again, it comes at an inappropriate time when they need the man’s skills. Honestly, Uryuu needs to choose his moments better.

“I know the way there, thank you very much. Just shut up and follow me.” Uryuu doesn’t look back at the man’s face, mostly because he’d only find a sneer there.

Isshin keeps his gaze forward and one hand on the hilt of his zanpakuto the whole way there.

Finally, after twenty-seven minutes and ten seconds, they arrive at the Soul King’s room. Uryuu pushes the doors open and steps aside to let Mayuri’s creation enter first, but two things stop him cold.

His jaw falls open and he is pretty sure that both Isshin and Mayuri look about the same as he does.

For one thing, the room Uryuu remembers was stately, impersonal and so, _so_ cold. What he sees now is the exact opposite of that – warm browns and reds combine nicely into all the shades in between to create a comfortable atmosphere; there are rugs and curtains everywhere, artistically thrown about to seem random to the ordinary eye; there is an army’s worth of pillows in all sizes and shapes that constitute as furniture, scattered around the round space.

From the center of the room, Ichigo watches over this little homely universe impassively. The crystal is still in its place on the low dais, but now it looks much less imposing and rough than the first time Uryuu has seen it. Now it seems part of the décor.

“I like what Rukia-chan did with the place.” Isshin says approvingly, arms crossed over his chest.

Mayuri lifts a finger and points.

“As much as I’m glad that you appreciate the interior landscaping skills of Kuchiki Rukia, I’d rather you take care of them first.”

For another thing, there are six priests currently surrounding the dais. They turned in unison when they entered, but their surprise has kept them rooted to their spots long enough for Isshin and Uryuu to finish their conversation over the interior design of the throne room.

“I don’t want my invention compromised, so you better be quick and efficient.”

Mayuri then simply steps back, probably to guard his precious invention.

Swallowing down his disgust, Uryuu pushes his glasses up on his nose, watching their enemies watch them.

Isshin makes the first move and unsheathes his zanpakuto. He offers a grin devoid of any kind of friendliness.

“Let’s go then.”

The Quincy doesn’t have to be told twice.

* * *

Toshiro freezes his last enemy to the ground and looks out of the nearest window. The battle is still going strong, much to his amazement. Against all odds otherwise, the royal forces seem determined to fight them until the end.

The captain arrived on the eighth floor where the King’s room is with time to spare and he has been using it to clean up whatever officers are left loitering around the hallways of the nearest levels. One can never be too safe when traversing them, Toshiro learned that the hard way and the bleeding wound on his shoulder is the tangible memory. 

Sword half raised in a defensive position, Toshiro walks the length of the hallway on the seventh level, sharp eyes searching for any hidden traps or enemies. His senses are stretched to their limit, which is how he notices at once when two spiritual pressures materialize on the stairs leading to his level.

Leaning in the corner beside the entrance, Toshiro concentrates on the feeling of them, wondering if he can identify who it is. Luckily, he can, and his eyes open wide when he realizes that the two spiritual pressures belong to Shihouin Yoruichi and Kuchiki Rukia.

Much more excited than he’d usually let himself appear to be, Toshiro springs from around the corner to greet them. Unfortunately, he did not account for the fact that his previous spot was a hidden corner and that both women are also prepared for a fight at any moment. Kuchiki is worse than Yoruichi, she is tight as a spring and she doesn’t even take the second to figure out whose reiatsu has just cornered them.

She just blindly and reactively directs Shirayuki’s blade under the chin of the person. Rukia feels the sharp tip of a blade poke at her shoulder at the same time that Yoruichi shouts.

“Woah, calm down you two!”

The woman is between them in less than a second, gingerly disentangling both soul reapers from doing something stupid.

“Ah, captain Hitsugaya!” At least Kuchiki has the decency to look abashed. “My apologies, I thought you were an enemy.”

Toshiro inwardly sighs with relief as he answers.

“There is no need to apologize. It was my fault that I was hiding in a corner.”

Yoruichi raises an eyebrow, intrigued.

“And why were you hiding in a corner?”

Toshiro avoids the subject with all his might.

“I’m glad to see that Yoruichi-san found you. You should hurry up there, I will be just behind you.”

Rukia nods and turns around without another word, but Yoruichi stays behind, gaze calculating.

“Actually, I think you should go on with Rukia, captain.” The older woman looks down the stairway they just used. “I am going to find Orihime and guide her to the King’s room.”

Toshiro opens his mouth, but Yoruichi waves a dismissive hand.

“I will take care of any enemies still remaining. Go.”

The captain looks up at the set of stairs leading to the level above. Kuchiki has already disappeared, but truth to be said, Toshiro does not necessarily look forward to visiting the King’s quarters. He’d much rather stay here, knowing that he can actually help with something.

Going up there, he is sure that the only thing he will be useful for is to make useless suggestions and guard the door while everyone else does all the work to free Kurosaki.

A gentle hand bumps him on the head, and he looks up into Yoruichi’s amused eyes.

“You’re thinking too loud. Everything’s going to be fine. Just _go_.”

With a sigh, Toshiro flash steps away, leaving Yoruichi to make a run down to the lower levels to locate Orihime.

The sight of the King’s room should bring back unsightly memories – as the palace itself does – but the space has been modified too much to make Toshiro feel anything but a strange sense of awe at the tasteful decorations.

“Whu-“

“Ah, Toshiro! Glad you could make it.” Isshin greets with a wide grin.

The boy turns his eyes from the landscape to survey the people present inside the room and balks for the second time. His former captain stands nearest to the doors, casual and unrepentant. Further inside the room, Mayuri and his strange machine are hard at work around the crystal.

Ishida Uryuu is a few feet away with Rukia, both quietly surveying the scientist’s work.

And in the top left corner of the room, six bodies are gagged and tied up, lying in an unconscious heap.

“Huh.”

“What are you all standing like idiots for?” Mayuri barks and the sound echoes awfully throughout the room. “Place these on the walls at regular intervals.”

He drops a black and pink backpack that Toshiro simply refuses to acknowledge as a real thing in Mayuri’s closet. Being usually the first relegated to take the bullet when it comes to anything Kurotsuchi-related, Uryuu opens the bag with a sigh and takes out a slim, black disk that is no bigger than his palm.

The Quincy looks back into the bag and then glares at Mayuri.

“There are at least a hundred of these here.” The young man accuses and the strange Shinigami scoffs.

“Then I suggest you get on with it.”

They divide the load between the four of them and get to work, placing them all over the walls surrounding the crystal. In the meantime, Mayuri continues to fret around the Outsukama and mumble to himself.

“Are you certain that they won’t wake up?” Toshiro asks, side-stepping a pool of blood that is telling enough.

Isshin snorts as he slaps another disc on the wall.

“Quite certain. Don’t worry about them anyway, they are pretty weak. But just in case, I will put up a barrier in place for you, my dear Toshiro.”

“My problem isn’t with their prowess,” Toshiro mumbles bitterly and rolls his eyes as Isshin whispers the incantation to number twenty-six, _Kyokkou_ , “we don’t know what kind of spells they are capable of. For all we know, they can start the ritual remotely.”

“I sure hope not.” Isshin shrugs and grins at him. “That would really suck.”

Toshiro sighs in exasperation. “You are just as bad as you were twenty years ago, captain Shiba.”

“Kurosaki now, Toshiro.” Isshin tuts, but his grin is telling enough.

Toshiro rolls his eyes.

At the other end of the room, Rukia finally manages to lift her gaze from what Mayuri is doing, hopeful that he’s on the right track.

“How confident are you that captain Kurotsuchi is going to be able to do this?” She whispers through half a mouth.

Uryuu stops, as if he has to physically fight to acquire an answer to her question.

“As a person, I trust him even less than Aizen. As a scientist, I’m pretty confident that he will be able to do it.”

Rukia nods, stifling the smile fighting its way onto her lips.

“Kuchiki Rukia,” Mayuri calls her name and Rukia’s head whips to look at him. The man waves his hand from behind the crystal, “if you’d grace me with your presence for a moment.”

Rukia is at his side in less than three seconds and Mayuri blinks long and slow, as if surprised to see his request fulfilled so fast.

“What is it?” Rukia asks breathlessly, praying that Mayuri found nothing too bad that would put a dent into their plan.

The scientist raises his hand and traces a fine line on the surface of the Outsukama.

“When did this appear?”

Rukia studies the long crack in the crystal with a horrible feeling of apprehension.

“I-I don’t know. I haven’t seen this before.”

Mayuri’s lips fall into a frown.

“Really?” He drawls implacably.

She nods meekly and the man huffs and turns back to his job.

“Is there,” she hesitates, “something wrong with the crystal?”

Mayuri takes his time in answering her question.

“I personally doubt it, but technically speaking, a crack should be impossible to appear. But here is one,” and then, under Rukia’s wide, shocked gaze, Mayuri points three more times in quick succession, “and another one, and another one, _and_ another one!”

With each time, Rukia’s heart drops and drops, until she cannot even feel it beating inside her chest anymore. A thousand horrible scenarios fly through her head in the space of a few quarters of a second, leaving her breathless, shaken and scared in their wake.

How could she not have seen them earlier?

Could this be because she cut that piece off the crystal?

Did she compromise things before they even properly started?

_Was it her fault that Ichigo will shatter along with the Outsukama when they try to get him out of there and disappear forever?_

There is a deafening sound in her ears, but she cannot figure out where it is coming from, only that it swallows just about every other sound in her vicinity.

“Captain Kurotsuchi,” she hears herself saying over the loud background noise that is just inside her head, “what does this mean?”

As if summoned by their discussion – or most certainly because he was listening in somehow – Aizen descends from the virtual heavens, a mad angel ready to screw things up with gusto. He joins the conversation with an opening remark that leaves a lot to be desired, in his usual give-no-quarter fashion.

_“There is no need to be so overly dramatic, Kuchiki Rukia, captain Kurotsuchi, even though you are both so very talented at it.”_

Both soul reapers meet each other’s eyes and something akin to solidarity passes between them in the face of this common and bothersome foe.

_“The fact that the cracks are there can only mean one thing.”_ Aizen continues before either of them can reply.

His voice is smooth, filled with self-confidence and Rukia can just imagine the smug expression on his face. In the dramatic pause that follows, she fights very hard not to say something that might jeopardize his willingness to help get Ichigo out of the Outsukama.

_“Kurosaki Ichigo realized that things are not what they seem, and he is fighting his hardest to get out.”_

And with one simple sentence, Rukia’s heart soars again.

* * *

Kurosaki Ichigo emerges a new man from the hole he’s been buried in. Ten years younger in both appearance and power, he holds Zangetsu in his hands tightly and deposits the shorter blade at his side.

Both Rukia and Ichika gape at him like he grew up another head-

_“Technically, you did! You aren’t bald anymore!”_ Zangetsu cheers and catcalls.

Ichigo reaches up to rub his temples, already tired of his hyperactive zanpakuto. He certainly hopes that Zangetsu will calm down after they get back home because otherwise, Ichigo has a new slew of problems coming his way.

_“Oh, shut the hell up. Can’t I just be glad for one fucking second?”_

“I-Ichigo?” Rukia asks warily. She looks at him as if she’s seeing a ghost and Ichigo can imagine why.

He is the haunting image of a decade, lost in the collection of moments that passed them by too fast. For two years, they’ve learned mostly everything about one another. In the span of one year and a half, he found out that there was still too much to learn.

The last war took too much out of them – time, happiness, hope.

Yhwach promised and he delivered.

Ichigo feels his anger swell just at the thought of that man.

For her sake, he offers a small, tentative smile and his expression softens immediately when he meets her eyes.

“Yo.”

Ichika uses her mother’s moment of inattention to extract herself from her grip. She skips a few steps away, sword raised, though now she is certainly warier, studying Ichigo’s new appearance with uncertainty.

“How did you do that?”

Ichigo allows a small smirk to grace his lips, though inwardly he berates himself for feeling victorious in front of a little girl.

_“Screw that! The little witch deserves it!”_

Ichigo chokes on his spit.

_Zangetsu-_

_“Baby steps, king.”_

Ichika’s eyes narrow on his form.

“You’re talking to your zanpakuto again.” The girl growls when there is no forthcoming answer on his part.

Ichigo clears his throat and adjusts Zangetsu again. The blade feels lighter than it did when he was twenty-eight, but it still brings him no pleasure to think that he will have to fight Ichika again.

“Let’s get this over with.” He exhales the words in a rush and lifts his sword in front of his face.

Rukia flinches and her hand goes to rest on the hilt of her own zanpakuto. Ichigo follows her actions, quietly considering the benefit of disarming her. She cannot get between them – not now, not when he is so close. She is not real but-

Ichigo’s grip on Zangetsu tightens.

Ichika grins shrewdly.

“Get what over with, Kurosaki-san?” Black reiatsu flows along the edge of her short blade, slick and viscous. “The only conclusion we will get to is that you will fall back into line.”

The young girl springs into a series of attacks so powerful that Ichigo might have staggered, had he been in his twenty-eight-year-old body. However, his current form keeps him on his feet. He grunts under the ruthless salve of cuts, parring as best as he can.

There are too many factors to account for in this setting, but there is no way Ichika will pause for long enough to allow him a chance to bolt.

A rather forceful downward cut makes his knees quiver. Ichigo keeps his zanpakuto raised to parry hers as steady as he can with how badly his hands are shaking. Over the screeching edges of the two blades, he meets Ichika’s eyes.

“What the hell are you?” He asks through gritted teeth. “You can’t be a normal kid.”

Ichika giggles and the sound is like she is dragging sharp claws down his back.

“ _Now_ you think it’s a good idea to ask that?”

“You’re not Rukia’s kid.” Ichigo announces decisively, wondering if she will refute his statement, but her smirk only widens.

“Sure, I am! Can’t you see the similarities?” She makes a sad face, the closest she can get in terms of looking like Rukia, Ichigo guesses. But her rendition is less accurate than she thinks it is and it gives Ichigo enough confidence to push back and stop this charade.

With a mighty heave and a yell, he manages to make Ichika back away a couple of precious meters from him. Chest heaving, Ichigo gathers his courage and calls upon his spiritual pressure.

He didn’t know what he expected, but there’s nothing there to rise to his call.

“Can’t find it, can you?” Ichika asks when she sees his eyes widen in alarm. “Obviously you can’t – you’ve got no reiatsu anymore, Kurosaki-san.”

Ichigo’s mouth is dry and his tongue feels like a stone. He stares at her as she twirls her zanpakuto with one hand.

“You aren’t a Shinigami anymore, Kurosaki-san. That’s what I keep trying to tell you.”

In a flash, Ichika is no longer a safe distance away. She appears right in front of his face, standing on her tiptoes to reach the same level as his face. Doubled over as he is, Ichigo tries to steady his wildly beating heart, if only not to appear like he’s hyperventilating from the shock of the revelation right in her face. 

“Go _home,_ Kurosaki-san.”

In a strange rendition of normality, Ichika’s whole persona mellows down into that little girl who is his best friend’s daughter. Her eyes clear into a deeper shade of blue that comes much too close to Rukia’s and she smiles up at him, close to Renji’s smirk, but not quite.

_“Get her out of our faces!”_

Ichigo startles and jumps back, raising Zangetsu into a defensive position. Reiatsu or no reiatsu, he will get their asses out of there no matter what.

“Stop dodging my questions.” With practiced ease, Ichigo turns back to the subject at hand. “Answer me! What the hell are you?”

Ichika purses her lips and her free hand comes to rest on her hip.

“Why don’t you tell me what I am? I’m pretty sure that your zanpakuto has to have a million theories by now.”

Ichigo’s mouth thins into a somber line and he addresses Rukia instead when he speaks.

“Rukia, I think Ichika might be controlled by Yhwach’s reiatsu. It’s why she’s behaving like this, just like I tried to tell you, remember?”

He cannot help the reproach in his tone. 

Through some sort of miracle, Rukia nods in agreement with him.

“That’s what I think as well.”

But Ichika bursts out in peals of laughter that have her clutching at her stomach.

“Sorry Kurosaki-san!” Ichika wipes a tear from the corner of her eye, still snickering. “But you’re no genius, I have to tell you that.”

_“Heh, at least she got that right.”_

Ichigo shoots her a glare, just because he can’t do the same to Zangetsu.

“You really have no clue, do you?”

Rukia tries to take a step forward, but Ichigo raises an arm to stop her from doing something stupid.

The young girl rolls her eyes.

“Stop making her do stuff, you are ridiculous.” Her lips curl back as she gazes at them. “Always looking like a lovey-dovey pair.”

“Ichika…” Rukia trails off, unsure what to even say to that comment.

Ichigo’s brows furrows, confused. “I’m not making her do anything.”

“Not consciously.” Ichika blows a strand of blood-red hair out of her eyes and stabs her zanpakuto into the ground. “Anyways, just because you are so hopeless, I will tell you.”

Suddenly, the world tilts and shifts. For one disorientating second, Ichigo thinks that the sky might reach down to swallow him whole. But then his back hits the ground, leaving his lungs devoid of air for one long second. His eyes trace the clouds above, suspended and motionless against the backdrop of cerulean blue.

“Your zanpakuto was close, but not exactly right.”

Ichika sits on his chest, legs dangling off both sides, keeping his arms glued to his body. Ichigo clenches his jaw when she leans in close to his face. Her eyes are so black that he can see his reflection at this short distance. Black reiatsu travels down her arms and up her chest, coiling like poisonous snakes in search of the kill.

“I _am_ Yhwach’s reiatsu, just as I am the crystal you so ignorantly name the Outsukama.”

A short, slim finger touches the spot above his heart. The corners of Ichika’s mouth curl upwards.

“The result is _me_ – your jailer, Kurosaki- _san_.”

Pain splits his chest open then, and Ichigo screams.

* * *

The battle rages on, despite both sides being short on time.

Kyoraku continues to fight Kenpachi, almost as if entertaining the other man in his eccentricities, not offering any type of clue as to what his real intentions might be.

But Byakuya knows that the captain commander is planning something, and the continued silence unnerves him almost as much as the scarce forces he brought with him from the Seiretei.

It’s almost as if he didn’t expect to encounter any obstacle today of all days but, Byakuya’s eyes narrow even as he deflects a blow meant for his head, Kyoraku was much too calm and composed when he saw the disaster that waited for him in the royal dimension.

A reaction was barely present, and he still looks properly unconcerned, even as the moment of truth draws nearer.

“Something is fishy.” Hirako lands a couple of feet away from him, a disheveled mess with bloody wounds.

Byakuya concurs with a grunt, directing Senbonkazura to cut off any means of escape for the last of the Assassination corps so that Matsumoto Rangiku and Yumichika Ayasegawa can dispose of them in a timely fashion.

Further off, Grimmjow is still fighting with captain Yadomaru – or maybe it is that the captain is keeping the former Espada occupied – while Nelliel and Renji continue to tackle Kensei Muguruma together, though the man is as stubborn to lose as usual.

Byakuya would have thought that they’d give more than an inch on this special occasion, but he also cannot begrudge the two much of anything when their hard-regained titles are on the line.

Tetsuzaemon Iba, fresh in his captaincy, does his best to keep in check both Ginjo and Ikkaku at the same time. The latter has promptly dropped off Hanatarou Yamada and joined in the fight not five minutes ago.

The third seat of the fourth division has been busy anyway, having to deal with wounds acquired from risky attacks in as short a time as possible so that the respective fighters could go back to the battle.

Byakuya keeps half an eye trained on the boy, just in case the Seiretei forces dare to try and do something stupid.

“There are three other captains left,” Hirako continues, not bothered by the lack of verbal reaction from his companion, “and with Soi-Fon out of commission for a while, I wonder what Kyoraku’s planning to do.”

“I suggest that you keep an eye on what the Assassination Corps do.” Byakuya suggests as he recalls his scattered zanpakuto. “It never hurts to pay attention.”

Yumichika flash steps to their spot, leaving Rangiku to take the other building as a vantage point. The third seat seems tired, but otherwise, he sports inconsequential wounds.

The rest of their forces are scattered on a radius of about one kilometer by Byakuya’s estimations, and they can easily be recalled using the human inventions called radios.

Hirako shrugs at him, cleanly bringing back up the conversation they were in the middle of.

“The only Assassination corps I see are those unconscious guys on the ground.” The other captain flicks a hand pointedly.

Yumichika turns towards them, a curious expression over his face. He waits for a few respectful moments, but when Byakuya offers no input, he speaks instead.

“By my calculations, those were the last ones that captain Soi-Fon brought with her. Now there’s only-“

_“Tighten the ranks and surround the enemies that are left.”_ Aizen’s voice orders through the earpiece and Byakuya bites down on his displeased frown.

It takes the whole group almost five minutes to really start making a dent in the Seireitei’s distribution through the field, but at last, they slowly start to bring them closer together.

Of course, Kyoraku must notice, though Zaraki certainly doesn’t.

Byakuya doesn’t dare breathe again until they have them surrounded, with Zaraki and Kyoraku right in the middle of them. They are an irregular circle, too far apart sometimes to be really considered a proper barrier, but he also doubts that their enemies are looking to escape.

“What now?” Nelliel whispers to no one, but Byakuya has been wondering the same thing.

“Keep them occupied, obviously.” Ginjo replies gruffly, brandishing his sword up higher.

Nonetheless, something feels off.

_“Aizen, can you hear me?”_

Yumichika’s voice echoes in everyone’s ears. Heads turn and questioning gazes align on the third seat, but the man seems too preoccupied to notice. Byakuya’s alarm only grows when he picks up the clear signs that Yumichika is distressed and anxious as he waits for Aizen’s reply.

_“Yes, I can, Ayasegawa Yumichika. What is it?”_

Yumichika doesn’t wait for further invitation.

_“Do you have eyes on the Kido Corp agents?!”_

There is absolute silence over the line as well as on the battlefield. Most stop what they were in the middle of doing, just from the shock of having Aizen speechless. Byakuya chances a glance to the Seiretei agents, but they seem preoccupied with their own problems to hear Yumichika declare theirs out loud.

_“No, we do not.”_ Aizen responds, almost bitterly. And then, in an uncharacteristically amusing fashion, _“Are you telling me that_ none _of you kicked their asses into oblivion in the first two seconds?!”_

The man clears his throat, but the damage to his image is done. Byakuya smirks, even as his heart sinks with the implications.

_“It seems that I underestimated your ability to retain a drop of common sense.”_

_“That’s a long ass line for such small news!”_ Grimmjow barks into the receiver, successfully loud enough to draw attention onto himself. _“When they attack us, they are dead, easy!”_

_“If they haven’t attacked you until now, then they are not in Vestibule city anymore, Grimmjow.”_ Aizen must be rubbing his forehead by now. _“Most certainly, they are already inside the palace.”_

_“We are in trouble, aren’t we?”_ Tsukishima murmurs against the backdrop of Zaraki’s loud taunts.

Aizen takes unnervingly long to reply, but the answer is quite obvious by now.

_“Very much so.”_

Even so, Zaraki does not stop, but Byakuya thinks that he catches the trace of a smirk on the captain commander’s lips.

* * *

“I’ve connected the cables.”

Mayuri leans forward and scrunches up his nose, as if witnessing a particularly distressing sight.

“You didn’t connect shit, captain Hitsugaya. Where do you see them connected?”

“I connected them! There!” Toshiro points angrily to the spot under scrutiny.

This is the scene Orihime and Yoruichi witness when they step inside the room.

Front and center, right in front of the Outsukama crystal, Mayuri and Toshiro argue over whether the cables are well connected or not. A couple of feet away, Isshin keeps guard over Mayuri’s machine, sitting innocently right beside the crystal.

Rukia is settled in her favorite corner, counting down the seconds as well as keeping an eye on the door from the vantage point.

“Inoue-san!” Uryuu greets with a gentle smile. “Yoruichi-san.”

“Yo!” The older woman pats him on the back as she passes by.

Orihime walks up to him with a smile of her own, though her eyes are filled with anxiousness.

“How are things going?” She murmurs, gaze flickering to take in the intervention currently happening around the crystal.

Uryuu fixes his glasses up on his nose, knowing without needing to turn what she is referring to.

“Better than I expected. Kurotsuchi is almost done and we’re ready to start.”

The Quincy sighs, tired even though this day is far from over. He affords a quick look behind, to Kurosaki, who is still frozen and unresponsive to the world. There’s always been something eerie about the way his friend floats, inanimate, overlooking the comings and goings of the royal dimension without a say in the mortals’ business.

It will be an adjustment to have him blabbering again, that is for sure.

A small hand twists in the fabric of his white Quincy uniform and Uryuu looks down to Orihime. He finds her with glassy eyes and a tremulous smile. She lifts her head to meet his eyes and asks in a warped voice that has Uryuu cursing Kurosaki for the thousandth time this year.

“I-It’s going to be alright, right, Ishida-kun?”

“I’m sure it will, Inoue-san.” Uryuu answers gently and makes no motion to stop her from ripping a hole in his shirt.

“It _has_ to be.” The young woman whispers, like a chant, and he can imagine that she keeps on repeating it in the sanctity of her own mind.

Uryuu gives her a minute, knowing that Orihime first needs to come to terms with Kurosaki as he is now so that she can move on, to look to the future, where Kurosaki will be free again.

This was maybe the main reason why Orihime always refused to come visit whenever the gang from Karakura decided on a trip to the Soul Society. She is an emotional person by nature and seeing one of the people closest to her heart in such a state was enough to render her unresponsive to the thought of ever coming here.

So adverse was her reaction that Uryuu took it upon himself to make most of the trips by himself and warned everyone from asking her to join them. Between him and Chad, they managed to accompany the various parties who wanted to see Kurosaki in the long span of time that he’s been a prisoner here. He’s glad that he could be able to shield Orihime off from the harsh reality of things, but now there is no more chance of doing that.

She needs to confront the solid proof and convince herself that it will be alright.

Uryuu smiles when Orihime nods, seemingly to herself and asks him, voice stronger and infinitely steadier than a minute ago.

“What do I need to do, Ishida-kun?”

Rukia watches Uryuu explain their plan of extraction to Orihime with a smile. Her heart aches with a different kind of grief then, but she’s anyway incredibly happy for the both of them.

When she turns her head, Ichigo is still there, eyes open, dead and cold. Rukia bites her lip.

Her fretting continues, thoughts running mercilessly through her head until Mayuri finally straightens his back and declares that they are ready to begin.

_“We have a problem.”_

Aizen’s words bring Rukia’s whole world crashing down. She sways on her way to the dais, and Uryuu has to clamp a hand over her elbow to keep her from falling to the floor.

“What the hell are you saying, Aizen?” Isshin speaks harshly through the communicator.

The man’s face is closed off, but there is an obvious tension running through him that has increased tenfold in the short amount of time between Mayuri’s announcement and Aizen speaking. He exchanges a look with Yoruichi as Uryuu vapidly waits for an explanation.

_“The Kido corps squad that has arrived with Kyoraku has been MIA since they touched down. No one on the ground has seen them, which means that they are most likely inside the palace.”_

“But we’ve scoured the place clean!” Toshiro protests and Yoruichi nods.

“And I also took another look. If nothing showed up on your radars, then they are not here.”

_“Are you trying to tell me that kido cannot fool these machines as well as it does the normal eye?”_

This shuts their mouths because Aizen may be right. These devices are experimental at best in this scenario and it’s a wonder that they’ve worked so well until now. Not detecting the kido users might be a very real possibility that has Uryuu scrambling for a new strategy.

“What do we do?” Toshiro whispers to the room at large.

Isshin drags a hand over his face and exhales heavily.

“We should-“

But he doesn’t finish because a bright yellow cord of light and six petals home in on him, lighting fast, bounding the older Shinigami in place.

Isshin sputters, looking down at the kido spells with disbelief.

Before anyone can react, several more kidos attach themselves to each one of them, rendering their bodies immobile.

The Kido Corps agents materialize in front of the Outsukama from seemingly out of nowhere. The air sizzles with the remains of the spiritually charged particles used in the spells and Uryuu clenches his jaw, unable to even twitch a finger.

_They are good._

“Allow us to disabuse you of the notion that you will be able to even lift a finger.”

The one in the head speaks calmly, hands pressed against one another as his companions move to surround the crystal.

“Now, we shall begin the ritual for the new Soul King.”

* * *


	15. Ground Zero

* * *

**_Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:_ ** _"_ _'You can evolve in the course of battle.' True enough. That, too, is a truth filled with hope. However, to 'change the future' is merely to shift from one of those grains of sand to another in the vast, scattered cloud. And I have the ability to gaze down upon all of those grains from on high."_

* * *

“They’ve been caught.” Aizen clicks his tongue and glares at the small pulsing dot that signals Kurotsuchi’s open channel.

Mizuiro glances back at him for a second before he returns to typing.

“What do we do? What do we _do_?!” Keigo has his hands in his hair, pulling at his roots.

Yuzu’s hands cover her mouth.

Tatsuki’s fist slams on the desk, making the glasses on it rattle.

“This is no time to freak out.”

Even though he is sort of freaking out, the former convict chalks it up to the fact that he is now emotionally invested in keeping his perfect track record intact.

“Yuzu, we need a new strategy and quick.”

Aizen urges her to think faster, because she might be the only one besides himself who has a shot of figuring this out.

“W-What happened to them exactly?” The young girl asks warily.

“They were caught up in several kido spells, no doubt.”

“Is there any counterspell for it?”

Aizen frowns, thinking.

“Not exactly and certainly not in their position.”

Yuzu frowns through her tears.

“Then can we spare someone from the battlefield?”

Mizuiro takes this as his cue to speak.

“I haven’t been able to get in contact with them. Also, there are an additional eight new presences from the Soul Society, gathered with the others.” He finishes with alarm.

“Damn it!”

Keigo’s head draws back at the exclamation that filtered unchecked out of Aizen’s mouth.

“What now, what _now_?"

“Pull a miracle out of our asses?” Tatsuki hisses back at him.

Yuzu steps closer to the map, whispering urgently.

“Who can we spare? Who is very good at kido in the other group?”

Aizen opens his mouth, ready to say _no one_ , but then he stops as an idea hits. It is far from a brilliant one, but it is the only option they have left.

At the same time, Yuzu turns her head to the others.

“Hey, what’s this dot?”

One blue spot is a little way off from the tight gathering in the center of Vestibule City.

Mizuiro takes one look at his screen before answering.

“Tag name says Hanatarou Yamada.”

“Wasn’t he that skinny kid who’s friends with Ganju Shiba?” Keigo asks curiously, demonstrating a wonderful memory.

“Indeed.” Aizen murmurs and presses the little button of his earpiece. “Connect me to him.”

Keigo scrambles for his keyboard.

“Can you hear me, Hanatarou Yamada?”

The four humans in the room turn to look at him askance. Aizen catches the tail end of Hanatarou’s answer, but it seems that the boy is shoddy at using the mysterious radio device.

“The problem is as follows – the attack group on the ground is currently surrounded by the enemy with no means to escape; the group in the palace is out of commission and the Shinigami from the Kido Corps started with the ritual.”

 _“Oh, that sounds bad. But what can I do?”_ Hanatarou murmurs shyly and Aizen rolls his eyes when Tatsuki shoots an incredulous look at the inanimate loudspeaker that brings the conversation into the room at large.

“I will put this as simply as I can – you are the only one left that can do something about it.”

As expected, the boy starts to sputter out a string of excuses and self-criticisms to oversell how useless he is when Aizen suspects that quite the opposite is true. He is, as of yet, unsure if Hanatarou does it implicitly because of that, or if the boy’s self-confidence is really under the sea level.

Either way, “This is no time, Yamada. You either follow my instructions or everyone dies, and Kurosaki says goodbye to his limbs for the foreseeable eternity.”

He might have rightfully exaggerated a bit in the beginning, but his words achieve their goal. Hanatarou shuts up long enough for Aizen to manage to put his thoughts in order.

“Do you know the incantation for Bakudo number seventy?”

“Soukeihi?” Hanatarou’s voice cracks in the middle of the word. “Y-Yeah, I think so.”

“Good. You will use it on my signal-“

“B-B-But is that alright? I m-mean, I’ve never tried this Bakudo before, what if I fail-“

“Then you will try again until you succeed.” Aizen interrupts him swiftly, already done with the pitiful flagellations. “Though I suggest that you do it on the first try since we are absolutely out of time.”

A pathetic whimper filters from the other end of the line. Aizen sees Tatsuki’s whole body crease in preparation for a verbal lashing. He has one moment to decide whether to stop her or not, but he’s curious to see whether she can shake some sense into Hanatarou.

“Listen up, kid! Everyone’s out there trying their best to save Ichigo, so stop your blabbering and keep up!”

“But I’m not-“

“If you’re up there with them then that means you’re good at something!” Her mouth twists and she adds sardonically. “The only ones who are powerless are inside this room, trust me.”

The next five seconds seem to stretch on forever until Hanatarou’s slim agreement reaches them. Aizen directs him to wait for his signal before commencing the incantation.

“Not bad, Arisawa.” The former soul reaper grants her this win because she deserves it. To Mizuiro, he says, “Please connect me to everyone else, both inside the palace and outside. I am going to inform them of the plan quickly and then we will proceed.”

Mizuiro nods without looking at Aizen once and the man’s lips quirk into a mirthless smile. A dark and twisted joy slowly takes a hold of his heart at the thought of tearing Kyoraku a new one for the impudence of thinking that he could outsmart him. Aizen will do everything he can to make sure that the captain commander will swiftly come to regret it when whatever half-assed plan he has concocted will inevitably fail.

“Done.”

Aizen touches his headset gingerly and speaks.

“Listen up…”

* * *

Byakuya is ashamed to admit that he has been caught unaware, but that is exactly what happened. This might just be his greatest failure yet, depending on how the next few minutes go.

He must have known that the captain commander held more aces inside his floral sleeve than what he showed up until now, but like idiots, they had the upper hand and got careless.

And now they are properly surrounded on both sides by three captains and more than half a dozen lieutenants. No mercy is written in the tense lines of their shoulders and on the tight grips they have on their zanpakuto.

Byakuya is aware that it is practically unimaginable to fight against the officers that one day ago, you would have died for. But at the same time, an order from the captain commander – and who knows, Central 46 most probably – is absolute and inescapable.

Look what happened to them, who have tried to traipse over these laws.

“My apologies,” Kyoraku sheathes his swords and hums as he turns around.

Kenpachi watches him dumbly, obviously still shaken by the series of events that concluded with his fight being interrupted for the foreseeable future.

“But this is as far as you lot are going. I will leave things in your hands, Nanao-chan.”

The man glances from one traitor to the other. He makes sure to meet each captain’s eyes, as if that will grant him more moral ground to stand on. The thought comes unbidden and sneering, in a voice that sounds surprisingly like Rukia’s at the back of Byakuya’s mind.

“We will deal with your actions when I get back. For the moment, you will have to excuse me.” That infernal straw hat shadows his expression, but Byakuya knows that it’s anything but cheerful. “I have a ritual to oversee.”

“How can you live with yourself saying that, huh?” Hirako explodes, though outwardly his demeanor is paradoxically calm and detached. The captain’s eyes slit into a glare pointed straight at Kyoraku. “Ichigo’s just a kid who had nothing to do with our wars.”

“And yet he continued to involve himself with the Soul Society and with us.” Kyoraku grabs the rim of his hat as he takes one step forward. “He continued to evolve to such an alarming rate, better than any soul reaper had in a millennium. And when push came to shove, and Yhwach’s victory was almost inescapable, he saved the world twice in the same breath.”

“So you locked him up for his efforts.” Hirako concludes scathingly and Byakuya wonders at the mere anger crawling underneath his skin.

Kyoraku flash steps past the conjunction of soul reapers and outside of the big semicircle they have formed.

“That is the fate of the powerful, captain Hirako. We fear the things that we cannot understand, and this fear pushes us to do unspeakable things.”

“Such a shame,” Byakuya is unsure why he has decided to speak, but the words fall unmercifully from his lips, and the truth that rings inside his soul echoes through the vast expense above the royal realm, “fearing someone whose only goal was to be ultimately acknowledged by the Gotei 13.”

“He was.”

Perplexingly, the captain commander is still here, talking to them. Byakuya can see that he is hesitating and, obviously, this is an order from above maybe even Central 46. Kyoraku might feel averse to it, but he’s still going ahead with it. Which is maybe the most inexcusable thing of all.

To his answer, Byakuya only has one more thing to add.

“If this is how we treat our heroes, then I fear that Aizen Sousuke was right.”

And now that the taboo is out in the open and everyone is openly gawking at him, Byakuya can rest with a clear conscience and less than one damn given about what his superior thinks.

Shockingly, Hirako grins, Grimmjow whistles and the moment is broken.

Kyoraku disappears without another word, but the tension and the uncertainty remain to hang like a scythe above their heads. Byakuya exchanges a look with Tsukishima and Yumichika, and all three glance to Kenpachi, who seems put off by the tranquillity that has settled over the battlefield.

“What are you waiting for?” Byakuya speaks out, his low voice obscenely loud in the permeating silence.

The lieutenants tense, but his question was not a taunt sent in their direction.

“I was just catching my breath.” Kenpachi explains with a grin that makes Byakuya dread what massacre is to come.

The man lifts his sword, and the lieutenants startle, faces sweaty and eyes wide as they prepare for the incoming attack. The captains on the frontline fare little better, but that is their own damn fault. They can always step to the side.

“We are ready, I suppose.” Tsukishima twirls his katana in one hand, blasé and unconcerned by the charged fight they are about to enter. He needn’t be though, because there is nothing tying him here.

“Stop them and go after Kyoraku as soon as possible!” Hirako orders their assembled forces. “Cut a path for the Arrancars if it’s the last thing you do!”

Byakuya belatedly realizes that there was indeed another step of the plan that included him bringing Nelliel up to the King’s room to open the Garganta, but he doubts that such a thing is possible anymore.

“It’s too late for that.” Rangiku mutters the reproach low enough not to be overheard by their enemies. 

“Don’t bother your pretty little head.” Grimmjow cracks his knuckles with a large grin. “We’ll just have to improvise!”

Nelliel sighs and unsheathes her sword.

“Let’s hope that it goes better than our other improvisations.”

Kenpachi’s first strike is blocked by Kensei, but that is the signal, and it pushes everyone to clash into battle.

Byakuya wonders at the wavering spiritual pressures up in the palace and his worst fears are confirmed when he hears Aizen’s voice inside his ear.

_“Listen up…”_

* * *

“No, _no, no, no_.”

Rukia tries her damnedest but she is unable to break through the kido spells. Her heart sinks when the priests from the Kido Corps start chanting and she starts one of her own along with them, though hers goes along the lines of one single word.

“ _No! Ichigo…_ ”

She is a goddamn failure, powerless and useless, unable to ever save the people she loves. Always doomed to watch them die right in front of her eyes, or worse, by her hands.

This time, it will be a little bit of both.

Uryuu bites his lip until it bleeds, watching Rukia struggle when he knows that it’s a moot point. The cords of concentrated resishi have been expertly solidified into the kido spells that are attached to them. Even for a Quincy like him, who is even more prone to reishi control, he is dismally unable to break through with just simple force.

But when Rukia starts hitting her head on the floor, it is enough for Uryuu to know that she has reached a breaking point and they need a plan, _fast_. Thankfully, the carpet is thick enough not to cause her any serious injuries, so Uryuu’s gaze turns about the room.

First, he stops on Kurotsuchi, but the scientist is resolutely looking at the proceedings. Next, he catches Isshin’s gaze, but the older man is as powerless as he is. Yoruichi is glaring daggers at the group, but even her proficiency with kido falls short right now.

Orihime shakes her head, tears threatening to fall from her eyes and Uryuu gets inexplicably angry when he sees the state she’s in. Toshiro’s scowl is almost palpable as he too shimmies through his bonds and struggles to break free.

The Quincy is unsure how many minutes pass, but they seem to drag on into eternity. No ideas come to pass through his mind, and as much as he tries to speak to Rukia, there is not much he can do without shouting out loud. Turning his head is already a chore, he does not want to aggravate his condition by trying to get Rukia’s attention somehow. Not that he has any fruitful ideas, and by the depressive aura hanging about the soul reaper, she does not have any either.

Clenching his jaw, Uryuu lets his gaze fall to the mix of warm browns and reds on the carpet below him. He munches on the inside of his cheek, pondering, struggling to come up with the minimum of an idea or it’s all over.

_It is… all over…?_

The droning incantation in the background halts and Uryuu looks up when he hears the rattling of chains. The thick iron cords that kept the Outsukama fixed have detached themselves from the walls and are slowly winding around the arms of the men around the dais.

Uryuu glares at the damned crystal, the source of all their problems and shortcomings. At first, they couldn’t even start to figure it out and when they did, they had to find a way to unseal it, _then_ they had to figure out what to put back inside in Kurosaki’s place. And now that they had it all planned out, the crystal and its inhabitant are plucked right out of their hands by the Soul Society.

 _As per usual_ , if Uryuu takes a moment to think about it.

If he glares hard enough, maybe it will spontaneously combust and spit Kurosaki’s ass out.

Uryuu makes to tilt his head, but the kido stops him. He pays it no mind, too concentrated on what he just spotted and wondering if his eyes are playing tricks on him, or if it’s because of the ill-adjusted light inside the room.

But the massive crack is there, right at the base of the crystal, in front of Ichigo’s feet. The split deepens the further up it climbs, stopping midthigh and Uryuu swears that he must be going crazy because he thinks that he sees it _grow._

“Let us receive the Soul King, the balance of worlds, the stone inside a tempest.”

The leader lifts his open arms up, under Ichigo’s impassive gaze. Uryuu grits his teeth so hard they crack, a thousand expletives passing through his mind. A few feet away, Rukia whimpers.

“Under his guidance, we will never stray. Under his light, we will never go blind. Under his power, we shall never know war.”

Like a handmade miracle descending from a special circle of hell, Aizen’s voice warps in everyone’s ears with a fast explanation and Uryuu’s spirits lift along with Rukia’s head from the ground.

The tear tracks on her cheeks stand out prominently against her white skin and Uryuu silently promises that this is their last hitch. It must be because otherwise, he will end up just like Rukia when another inevitability turns around the corner.

Mayuri’s whole body gives one big twitch and Uryuu’s brows furrow, though he is not at all surprised, considering that the man may as well house a bomb inside his chest and be nonchalant about it.

There is an immediate change in the atmosphere inside the room, and Uryuu mentally counts down the seconds along with Tatsuki.

* * *

“You can start on the incantation, Hanatarou Yamada. Keep your microphone open.”

Hanatarou chirps a short reply and starts to speak.

Aizen mouths it along with him, counting down the verses until they are almost to the end. He keeps count on his fingers and when Hanatarou hits the last combination of words, Aizen flicks his hand at Mizuiro and the boy presses the button that connects everyone’s radios together.

“Five seconds to go.” Tatsuki announces through the microphone.

Aizen mentally counts down inside his mind along with her.

“Four, three,”

* * *

Byakuya’s grip on his sword tightens gradually, the closer they get to the last second.

Grimmjow leans forward, arching his body to achieve maximum speed for his grandest attack yet.

“Keep it up!” Hirako barks across the battlefield.

* * *

“Two,”

“… grant the demon’s fate salvation,” Aizen murmurs, chest tightening at the mere memory of casting a kido spell,

“One,”

“Stifle the cries of the millions.”

“ _Now_!”

* * *

“Bakudo number seventy, _Soukeihi_!”

Down on the battlefield, Hanatarou’s hands glow with a yellow light that grows to encompass the whole battlefield, rapidly traveling beyond, and to the castle. Nothing remains untouched in its way, but to the confusion of the onlookers, who know nothing about this spell, it doesn’t do anything.

“What are you standing there for?!” Nanao shouts to the Seiretei forces, obviously having caught up on what is going on. “They just cancelled every kido in the royal realm!”

“That’s right we did!” Hirako exclaims gleefully and Byakuya nods in agreement.

Ikkaku roars a battle cry and attacks with renewed fervor. Countless footsteps pound on the sky to follow in his wake.

Finally, the scales are slanting their way again.

* * *

Uryuu is ready when the kido spell hits. Immediately, he feels his body return under his own will and he jumps to his feet, needless of adverse effects and nausea.

Rukia is long gone from her spot and halfway to the dais, one arm raised and a snarl on her lips.

“Bakudo number sixty-one, _Rikujoukourou_! _Rikujoukourou! Rikujoukourou! Hakufuku!_ ”

Six bodies fall to the ground, bound and unconscious, in the time it takes for the rest of the group to come to their senses.

“That was amazing, Rukia- _chan_!”

Yoruichi appears above the men, checking to make sure that they stay down for the foreseeable future.

“This is not the time, Kurosaki-san!” Rukia snaps and the older man’s mouth clamps shut.

“Kurotsuchi-taichou,” the former captain addresses the scientist, but the peculiar man is lost in his own world, “how bad is it?”

“I’ve got no idea.” Mayuri shrugs, much to their frustration. “I’m not an expert on this ritual, but in any case, this might be our opportunity.”

Rukia steps forward threateningly.

“An opportunity I suggest you make use of fast. These are proficient kido users, they won’t stay down for long.”

Mayuri’s face conveys his distaste, but he nods anyway and carelessly shoves his radio in her hands.

“Fine. Keep hold of this, would you?”

“Kyoraku’s coming.”

Toshiro drops another bomb and Uryuu just can’t keep up with it anymore.

The Quincy rubs at his eyes and makes a decision.

“Kurosaki-san, Yoruichi-san, Toshiro.”

“That’s captain Hitsugaya.” Toshiro admonishes long-sufferingly and the Quincy rightfully ignores him. 

“The four of us will guard this room with our lives.”

Isshin grins, cracking his knuckles.

“Of course we will!”

“Damn right.” Yoruichi nods and props her hands on her hips.

Toshiro nods and wordlessly walks to one side of the room. Uryuu takes the other and Isshin stays in the middle, the most prepared to deal with any head-on attack that Kyoraku might try.

Glass shatters from the direction of the Outsukama, but when Uryuu turns, he sees Kurotsuchi with his hands up in the air and Rukia yelling in his ear.

“What was that?! What did you _do_?”

Orihime stands a few steps behind, looking uncertainly at the unstable mass of pure, mysterious crystal.

“I didn’t do anything.” Mayuri says dryly. “Some more cracks appeared, no need to get so worked up, Kuchiki Rukia.”

The man replaces the cables on the crystal’s surface and steps towards his machine. He starts pressing buttons then, and Uryuu has no chance of following him, but neither does he have the time to.

Kyoraku bursts through the doors and Isshin’s already locked swords with him.

“Ah, Shiba-taichou. Long time no see!” The captain commander greets casually.

Yoruichi materializes over his head, one leg rapidly descending towards his head, but the man is fast enough to evade it.

And though Isshin’s answer is amiable, his body language is anything but.

“Kyoraku-soutaichou. You shouldn’t have interrupted your busy schedule for us, sir.”

“Nonsense,” Kyoraku twists his body and Uryuu tenses, bow at the ready, but Isshin is once again there to meet his feint, “I always find time in my busy schedule for these kinds of events.”

Mayuri’s machine sputters to life and the scientist exclaims happily.

Kyoraku retreats a couple of steps to get a better look behind the scenes.

“Hmm, are you sure that you want to do that, Kuchiki-san?” He asks his question loudly enough for it to travel over the distance.

Rukia falls in the trap and turns towards Kyoraku. Uryuu opens his mouth to warn her off, but the captain commander tackles the line she threw him and launches the last ace he holds.

“Ichigo-kun might die if you take him out of the crystal without the proper spell.”

The woman freezes in her spot, eyes going wide and scared, but that’s just what Kyoraku was waiting for.

Uryuu launches a salve of arrows to stop him from advancing and it gives Isshin enough time to shake off his shock and run to intercept him.

“You probably think that you’re saving him,” Kyoraku holds a puzzling expression on his face, caught between a grim smile and a serious furrow to his brows, “but after such a long time under the Outsukama’s influence, there might not be any saving him anymore.”

Toshiro blocks the doorway, already in bankai form and looking for an opening.

Rukia’s whole body begins to tremble. So wired the woman is that all logic flew out of the window the moment that the captain commander's words struck home with efficient accuracy. 

“The transition from that enclosed space to the real world might push the last of his consciousness over the edge.” Kyoraku sidesteps two ice spears that fly in his direction, all the while never taking his eyes off Rukia as he continues to speak.

The captain of the Zero Division shakes her head, as if trying to dispel the words of the soutaichou, but to no avail. With every second that passes, it seems that she’s beginning to believe them more.

_Not good._

Yoruichi slips from one point to another, hoping to find the best opportunity to disable Kyoraku before it’s too late.

“Get a hold of yourself, Kuchiki!” Uryuu snaps when he sees her.

She looks infinitely smaller next to Mayuri’s towering frame. The Quincy is glad to see that the scientist didn’t stop with the final preparation, even in light of this revelation.

Kyoraku’s gaze burns into Rukia, mercilessly understanding.

“I sent you up here hoping – _knowing_ – that you are the only person who can understand. The deed is done and over with. Ichigo-kun has one chance in a billion to return to who he was before. But instead of doing something reckless, _you_ can help him in this transition, Kuchiki-san.”

“Orihime is here, nothing bad will happen to Kurosaki!” Uryuu shouts again, trying to cover Kyoraku’s poisonous words.

Orihime rushes to Rukia’s side, nodding her head all the while.

“I promise you, Kuchiki-chan!” She grips the other woman’s cold hands in her own and tries to offer her silent support.

Kyoraku suddenly jerks to a stop and the whole room freezes. The former eighth division captain has never shown the kind of expression that he does now. A grave twist of the lips on the face of the so-dubbed ‘laziest captain’ who has never once, over the centuries that he’s been part of the Gotei 13, pulled any kind of expression like this one.

If Isshin is struck dumb, Rukia has even more difficulty in coming to terms with the whole range of expletive emotions hidden behind the older man's gleaming eyes.

All the air in her lungs seems to rush out of her when Rukia finally _understands._

“Ukitake-taichou,” the woman croaks, and Kyoraku’s face draws in on itself, pitiful and yet still shockingly dignified.

A bitter smile curves at the corner of his mouth.

“I might have been in your shoes once before, Kuchiki. Not exactly, but pretty damn close. Things like these – you can’t play around with them. Do you know why they specifically sent you up here?”

“They?” Toshiro echoes with furrowed brows.

“Central 46 and beyond.” Kyoraku explains easily, more concentrated on Rukia’s answer.

It never comes, mostly because words have completely and resolutely failed her.

“Because of their connection.” Isshin answers easily, the grip on his sword tightening incrementally.

“Indeed,” Kyoraku agrees, eyeing the man uneasily, “Kuchiki and Ichigo-kun got something pretty rare in this world.”

“Kyoraku-soutaichou, surely you do not believe in such things as fate and destiny.” Uryuu sneers discreetly, trying to find a way to unravel this situation until it tightens into an inescapable nod.

“Don’t you, Ishida Uryuu, last of the Quincy?” Kyoraku half-turns to face him. “Surely, everything you’ve seen up until now must have spelled enough controversy, even for your atheist view of the world.”

Uryuu bites the inside of his cheek, irritated most of all and he snarks back.

“If controversy subtly means Aizen’s hand, that is.”

Surprisingly, Kyoraku laughs.

Uryuu exchanges a look with Toshiro and Isshin, but when he glances at Yoruichi, the woman’s face denotes something desperate and broken behind the cold façade she holds that brings the Quincy’s whole world to a screeching stop.

His heart starts to beat faster when the logical conclusion filters through his brain – Yoruichi has been around Urahara for long enough, she’s stood by his side for centuries and she _knows_ many, many, _many_ things that never occurred to him to ask after.

“Despite the many horrible things you’ve seen, you are still so naïve, Ishida-san. Your first mistake was believing that Aizen Sousuke really had the power to do it all by himself. The brains, maybe, but the resources,” Kyoraku clicks his tongue and it’s all Uryuu can do not to fall to his knees right there.

Aizen never told them this, he never even _alluded_ to it. Is that bastard so self-centered that he didn’t think that this small dram of information might be useful to them this once?

Uryuu wants to kill him so much right now. He’s never one to resort to wishing for murder, but in that second, it is the only sensible option, aimed at the one parameter he feels closer and reachable.

Kyoraku isn’t, not when he can speak three mellow words and turn their world upside down.

Yoruichi saved their lives enough times to be given a second chance.

Kurosaki – he is the destined puppet and maybe the greatest victim of this failure of a system.

“Makes sense.” Isshin speaks, voice rough and with unrestrained fury dancing under his skin.

Toshiro startles, as if his former captain walked up and slapped him over the face.

Yoruichi’s eyes narrow on Rukia’s swaying form and even Mayuri, as if finally sensing the unstable situation to his right, reaches out and grips Rukia’s upper arm to steady her.

“Does it, I wonder, Shiba-taichou?” Kyoraku turns his head in Isshin’s direction, yet he remains facing Uryuu.

Ignoring the rhetorical question, Isshin looks to Rukia, to his son, and back to the only face that can be attributed to their problems. 

“Aizen’s anger makes sense now, at least to me.”

Uryuu draws back in shock and confusion. Orihime gasps loudly from somewhere beyond his field of vision.

Kyoraku’s eyes narrow but Isshin plows on ahead, glad for the visible reaction he got out of the man.

“That man isn’t dumb enough not to realize that he’s being controlled, but he also knew that there is nothing he could do about it. Some things are beyond us, no matter what we do or how high we get. I suppose,” Isshin’s words stutter to a slow, meaningful rhythm as his eyes travel to meet Uryuu’s, “that is why he fought so hard to open up the royal dimension in the first place, right?”

Too late does the Quincy realize that the man had his thumb on the button of his radio this whole time.

 _“Precisely, Kurosaki Isshin.”_ Aizen’s answers casually, flippantly and completely furiously. _“I foolishly believed that the source of all the rotten things inside the Seiretei could be found in the royal dimension, but it seems that, in the end, I was completely wrong.”_

“Not far out, though.” The former Shinigami murmurs, looking right back at Kyoraku. "His actions cannot be excused by his reasons, but at least we have confirmation that Aizen wasn't just simply insane. You people might as well have brought him to that edge with your own hands."

The head captain’s hackles seem to rise, and he opens his mouth in a retort, but Rukia chooses that moment to speak out.

“What do you want from me?” Her voice is tremulous and Uryuu wants nothing more than to get up there and shake her out of her funk.

_This is not the time to be considering abandoning their plan._

Kyoraku swallows his irritation and turns a polite and bland smile in her direction.

“I will make this simple since we are quite out of time.” The older man eyes the crystal as if studying a bomb about to explode. “You are the only one who can complete the sealing. Ichigo-kun’s heart will be entrusted to you so that his spirit can live on, and maybe, sometime in the next millennium, he will even be able to reincarnate. You will also be allowed to remain here, lead the royal guard and keep watch over him if you wish so. It is all quite simple, Kuchiki-san, but you need to make your decision _now._ ”

Isshin, Yoruichi and Toshiro explode with different replies. Uryuu bites his lip until it bleeds.

With each sentence that the soutaichou finishes, Rukia takes one more step backward. By the time Kyoraku stops, her back has hit the Outsukama and her skin is almost translucent. All the blood is gone from her face and Orihime reaches out again for her friend, face filling with increasing concern.

Rukia doesn’t seem to notice though, she only looks up at the crystal, eyes fervently searching for something in Ichigo’s face. Uryuu prays that whatever she hopes to see, that idiot will be able to offer her the answer. Time is steadily running out and he holds no doubt that they are on the final stretch.

“I-I don’t believe you.” The words pass through purple lips. Rukia’s teeth are chattering, but her eyes are filled with a resolution that wasn’t there one moment ago.

Uryuu’s whole body deflates as his breath rushes out of him at the incredible amount of relief he feels.

“Even if what you said turns out to be true,” Rukia admits quietly, but her voice still travels through the room and to Kyoraku, who has been interrupted and is judging her from under the brim of his hat, “I know for a fact that Ichigo would _never_ want to become a puppet in someone else’s game.”

“From what I remember, he readily became one when he participated in all those battles in our name.” Kyoraku comments and Rukia bares her teeth at him.

One of her hands reaches up to grip at the front of her uniform and she yells coarsely.

“He wanted to help _us_! He readily offered his help and his _life_ to this broken system because he believed in _you_! And you – all of you – _betrayed_ him.” She draws up, back straightening.

Rukia’s height is nothing impressive, but at this moment, standing on the raised dais and looking down at Kyoraku, she looks like a vengeful goddess and taller than life, a shield between Ichigo and the people who want him dead and gone.

“I will never forgive you.” She spits out with every ounce of desperation that has accumulated during the longest year of her life. “But he will, you know that, right?”

Kyoraku blinks, maybe surprised, maybe taken aback by her words.

Nevertheless, Rukia raises her chin, a silent invitation and a thinly veiled dare for the captain commander to try and touch the crystal and the man inside of it.

The conversation they’ve had has taken quite some time, even if it didn’t feel like it. Thankfully, not all parties have been idle or actively participating in it.

Like, for example, the head scientist who was finally afforded enough time to work on his invention in peace.

Mayuri presses one final button and steps back from the machine eagerly.

The device lights up and begins to pump some of Yhwach’s reiatsu on the crystal’s surface, though Uryuu knows that the diluted reishi is only there to activate the Outsukama.

Rukia drags Orihime back when the crystal starts to glow.

“Yes, _yes_! It’s working!” Mayuri shouts, ecstatic.

Everyone in the room stops to look at the Outsukama as the chains lift once more and embed into the floor. Several more cracks appear on its surface, but they don’t seem to be a direct consequence of the crystal activating.

Rather, the two events seem totally unrelated and Uryuu starts to wonder which one will be the winner.

An earthquake hits then, and the Quincy struggles to stay on his feet as the whole room shakes, with the crystal as its epicenter.

Orihime yells and covers her head as dust and debris fall from the ceiling. Rukia does her best to shield the other woman, even as her gaze is stuck to the Outsukama’s shape, expression scared and drained. Ichigo has become invisible in the powerful glow of white light that emanates from the Soul King’s prison.

There is another sound, like tearing fabric and they all look to the source with confusion _._ The squad of priests they took down rises from the ground and floats halfway to the ceiling to form a circle. Uryuu watches them, open-mouthed, as the seemingly unconscious men extend their arms and start to speak gibberish as the crystal’s glow continues to grow in intensity.

“Those are the crystal’s guardians I spoke of.” Mayuri points like a teacher and explains.

Isshin nods tightly but the rest of them look on dumbly.

“They are supposed to be conducting the ritual, but why were the Kido corps agents here then?”

The scientist crosses his arms, one finger tapping on his arm.

“Obviously, these beings cannot retain a form of their own, so they must possess real, solid people in order to be able to manifest. Probably, the incantation was to call on them.”

“What are they doing?” Rukia whispers, but Uryuu hears her nonetheless.

Unfortunately, he has no answer to give her.

The six spirits suddenly stop and silence reigns for a couple of stony seconds. Then they start to scream, high pitched and infernally loud. 

* * *

The pain is irrefutable, uncompromising and consistent. What is worse – _it just won’t stop._

Ichigo feels his throat as raw as his insides from all the screaming. He is only human, and the pain is like a vice surrounding his heart.

He cannot think, he can only act, but with his hands tied at his sides, there is only one thing he has left at his disposal.

He loses Ichika at some point in the dark sea of Yhwach’s reiatsu that swallows him whole. There is nothing but darkness here, a void that looks back at him and _judges_. There is no Zangetsu anymore, and Ichigo half-heartedly wonders if there ever was, or if this is another fever dream that he will wake up from and find himself back at the beginning.

Back to dreaming with his eyes wide open.

There is no discernible shift in time, but at some point, Ichigo hears a dull thud and the pain suddenly, mercifully, lessens. He finds that he can breathe again, and something touches his shoulders then.

“Ichigo!”

Rukia shakes his shoulder hard enough to make him dizzy. Ichigo barely manages to open his eyes. His breathing is harsh in his ears and his teeth are chattering so hard, he wonders how they’re not breaking.

“Ichigo, get a hold of yourself!” Rukia’s hands scramble over him, but it’s useless when she has no idea what to do to help him. Her hands glow with kido while Ichigo tries to pull himself into a sitting position.

“’m f-fine, Ruk-kia.” He manages to unclench his jaw long enough to murmur, but Rukia is relentless in offering him help. “What the hell,” Ichigo shudders all the way to his soul, “happened?”

Before she can answer, a small form crouches down on his other side.

“Are you okay, daddy?”

Ichigo’s whole body goes cold at the sound of Kazui’s voice. When he turns his head, his son smiles innocently at him.

“Kazui,” Ichigo whispers incredulously.

_“Kazui!” Zangetsu echoes with a cheer._

“What are you doing here?”

The little boy frowns, and the resulting expression is more on the cute side than serious.

“I’m here to save you!” Kazui exclaims and points to where Ichika is deposited on the ground, nursing a bruise on her cheek. “Ichika-chan was hurting you.”

Besides the fact that Kazui has supposedly managed to enter the Soul Society, there is also that his son managed to punch that very powerful… _thing_ off him.

“And that’s not nice.” Kazui concludes with a pout.

Ichigo glances at Rukia, but she seems suspended in time, or maybe she is just as shocked by the turn of events. There is a slack expression on her face and her wide eyes are blank.

 _“You’re losing your hold on this illusion.” Zangetsu warns from the back of his mind_.

Ichigo bites his lower lip hard enough to draw blood and get him out of his funk. With a mighty amount of effort, he rises to his feet, using his zanpakuto to keep from keeling over.

“You can’t be here, Kazui.” Ichigo rasps brokenly. “Go home.”

Even if the kid is not his kid, he’s still _his_ kid. Kazui won’t get hurt on his watch.

“Pah, such noble words!”

Ichika seems back to her usual, evil-reiatsu-of-Yhwach self. She glares at Kazui hard enough that Ichigo fears the boy will really burst into flames.

But Kazui only offers a smile full of dimples and bounces to his feet as well. One small arm reaches out to rest on the hand that holds Zangetsu.

“It’s okay, daddy. You can take a break now.”

“Kazui,” Ichigo begins, baffled, “what are you-“

Kazui’s form bursts into black flames that promptly stutter to reveal the boy clad in the same shivering Shinigami uniform that he sported on the roof of the Kurosaki clinic a few scarce hours before.

“Ichika-chan lied to you earlier.”

A zanpakuto materializes in Kazui’s hands and the boy unsheathes it at the same time that Ichika brandishes her sword in front of her face. Her lips are pulled back into a sneer and a dark expression clouds her face.

“She is more the manifestation of Yhwach’s power than she is of the crystal’s. Just as I am the manifestation of the crystal more than I am of the black reiatsu.”

“Shut up, kid!” Ishika snarls and teleports in front of Kazui, but the boy readily parries against her blow.

Ichigo watches the two kids, Ichika fighting to break the stalemate while Kazui simply looks at her, unconcerned with her animosity. His sluggish mind tries to catch up with the last few words Kazui spoke, but _it doesn’t make sense_.

 _Kazui_ is the manifestation of the crystal?

How is that even possible?

_“You know, between all the shit that’s been going on, this is the most logical thing that happened until now.”_

Ichigo’s free hand clenches into a tight fist and he tries to reign in the sudden wave of grief and betrayal that washes over him.

Kazui seems to sense his roiling emotions because he looks up at him with a sweet smile that has no place in this bloody battle.

“It’s fine! That reiatsu managed to touch me, but I still retain my mission and my main purpose.”

Those are not the words a six-year-old child would use, especially _Kazui_ , who still had such a childish vocabulary that Ichigo sometimes feared-

_It’s a moot point now._

Actually, it was never _not_ a moot point.

In Zangetsu’s words – Kazui never existed to begin with.

“Which is?” Ichigo chokes on the question, but the boy readily answers with a wide smile that he always displayed when he got to talk about what he enjoyed.

“To keep an eye on you and make sure that you are happy, so you’d want to stay here!”

Ichigo opens his mouth to say something, but the words simply refuse to come, no matter how much he pushes them to.

“Retain _this_!”

Ichika tries to swipe Kazui’s feet from under him, but the boy just twists and pushes her back with a roundhouse kick in the stomach.

When the young girl looks up, she looks angry and her eyes burn with the promise of pain.

“That’s it!”

Like a child throwing a tantrum, Ichika throws her zanpakuto on the ground, where it promptly shatters as it lands.

Yhwach’s reiatsu bursts forth and dances in the air around her as her eyes darken until Ichigo cannot distinguish the sclera from her iris. Two voids glare at him, threatening to disintegrate him into nothingness.

Kazui steps forward gingerly, a furrow between his eyebrows, and Ichigo just stands there, watching him and not understanding.

“You must muster all of your willpower to break free, daddy.” The young boy turns to look up at him and Ichigo can see that he is serious. “I will keep her occupied.”

He turns back and Ichigo raises a hand, alarmed and filled with a mighty need to stop the kid from his suicidal mission.

“But what if-“

“You can do it,” Kazu’s grin is sunny, “I’m sure of that!”

Ichigo stays behind, helpless to do anything but watch as his son battles the monster that became of Rukia’s daughter.

_“They are not real! Concentrate!” Zangetsu barks._

He scrunches his eyes shut and gathers every drop of composure and control that he has, which is not much, but the intention does matter in this case. And because it is easier, Ichigo directs it towards Zangetsu, the single, familiar point in this hellscape.

Kazui’s shout staggers him out of it. Ichigo searches fearfully and his heart drops when he cannot find Kazui anywhere.

But then the wall of darkness that towers above the Kuchiki manor breaks in the middle and Kazui skids out of the mass of reiatsu, wounded but breathing.

“Kazui!”

Ichigo cannot stand back anymore. As much as Zangetsu curses him, _fake or not_ , there is no way that he will let Kazui fight Ichika all alone.

A thin limb of spiritual pressure shoots forward and wraps around Kazui’s throat, lifting him above the ground. Without a clue if it will work or not, Ichigo lifts Zangetsu and cuts through the offending power. It thankfully works and the rest of the limb retreats back into the static void.

“Are you alright?”

Before Kazui can answer, Ichika’s voice chimes with a reply, the sound seemingly carrying from multiple directions.

“That’s a useless question to ask, Kurosaki-san. Because of your stupidity, Kazui is going to die and you will spend the rest of eternity suffering at my hands!”

Three more limbs extend, but Kazui’s zanpakuto slices the air in front of them and they disintegrate before they can reach their spot.

“Dad,” Ichigo turns to the boy, ready to do anything he asks of him, “should you really lose your time here? I’m sure that Rukia-san is waiting for you out there.”

Ichigo flinches at the name, the pain physically real at the sound of it. For a moment, his mind returns to the memory of the dream he had in Urahara’s shop, when he saw another version of Rukia calling his name.

“And I’m pretty sure that Yuzu-san and Karin-san want you to return as well. Not to mention that all your friends must miss you.” Kazui continues speaking as he bats away numerous intrusive limbs that come at them with increasingly more creative ways of attacking. “Ishida-san, Sado-san, Orihime-san, Tatsuki-san, Asano-san, Kojima-san, a lot of people are going to look for you.”

Each name that the boy delivers brings Ichigo’s resolve to stay and fight closer to the crumbling point.

With a small grunt, Kazui stands up and pushes with his zanpakuto into the void. He murmurs something foreign along the blade and the mass quivers in place and spits Ichika out.

Ichigo watches the girl land not too far away from the animated wall of darkness, wondering if whatever Kazui did will keep her down for good.

“Here you go, you can leave through here!” Kazui’s zanpakuto is edged in the split between the two curtains of reiatsu, as if to physically keep them from closing. The space in the middle is warped, its colors distorted, as if Ichigo is looking through a pair of bad lenses.

“As if I’m letting you!” Ichika shrieks and extends her hand.

Ichigo barely has time to turn around before a slim hand snakes around his neck. Rukia brings Shirayuki’s blade up with the other hand, eyes gazing listlessly into the distance.

“Rukia, pull yourself together!” He tries calling out to her, but it doesn’t work. It’s as if she isn’t even there.

He can’t move because she’s going to slit his throat. But even if he would – _can_ he kill her?

“Oi, Rukia!”

No, he cannot. It doesn’t matter that it’s not Rukia, it doesn’t matter that this world is not real, he cannot bring himself to even think about harming her. But then how is he getting out of this mess-

“ _Mah_ , that’s cheating, Ichika-chan!” Kazui puffs out his cheeks, frustrated.

The boy jumps towards Rukia and flicks her forehead, though instead of just irritating her, the simple gesture throws her back until she hits the porch of the mansion.

“Rukia!”

Ichigo winces at the painful sound of the collision. Ichika howls like a wounded animal, obviously at the end of her patience with these interferences. Byakuya and Renji, both silent and still for so long that Ichigo forgot about them, start forward. Kazui starts to push him with an incredible amount of force towards the pathway he opened earlier, hurriedly forcing Ichigo to move faster and _leave_.

“But! Kazui-!“ Ichigo tries to turn back to the boy before he stumbles over Kazui’s zanpakuto and falls forward.

The last thing he sees is Kazui’s smiling face.

“It’s okay, daddy!”

Ichika bellows something from behind him, but the portal closes and Ichigo is suddenly caught up in a blurry world that falls by too fast for him to keep up.

A million different images twist into a billion other shapes, combining into a dizzying kaleidoscope that makes his eyes hurt. They curl around his arms, they take him from one spot to another, but no matter what they do, Ichigo continues to fall.

Their speed increases with each inch that he loses as he plummets at full speed down the current of time. He opens his mouth, trying to speak, but an unknown wind howls past his ears and drowns out the sound of his own voice.

_Zangetsu!_

His zanpakuto remains decidedly silent and Ichigo curses him for giving him this moment of silence when he dreads it the most.

It feels like an eternity passes and yet he is still falling, twisting towards an unknown and painful stop on the cold, hard ground.

_What do I do?!_

He calls out to no one and no one hears him.

_Do something!_

He orders himself to act, but his body is frozen in midair.

_Help!_

He asks anyone who listens, but no one lifts a finger to help him.

_What should I do?_

Ichigo feels this rapidly shifting world heave around him, ready to finally swallow him whole and there is nothing that he can do about it.

He closes his eyes again, hoping that he can push the images away by sheer willpower. It does not work, but he does manage to accomplish one minuscule thing that lasts less than a second, and yet for Ichigo it passes like a decade.

The world pauses for just long enough to let those years pass by him once more.

Ichigo opens his eyes to a bright blue sky filled with fluffy white clouds. Inherently, he knows that it is winter, can feel the cold dancing over his feverish skin. Undaunted, his own voice echoes a string of words around the invisible walls that surround him, tone restless, desperate and sorrowful.

_I wonder, can I keep up with the speed of the world without you in it?_

The words are familiar, the thought is familiar, but it is a struggle to remember. Quietly, he wonders what the answer is before the world starts to pass by him again, faster than before.

 _What can I do_ , he asks the one and only person that will ever hold the answer for him, _Rukia?!_

Just before he thinks of giving up, of letting himself be buried in the shifting sands of time, there is a loud sound, like cracked glass being stepped on and pain blossoms at the back of his head. The last thing he hears before loses consciousness is her voice calling out his name.

_“Ichigo!”_

* * *


	16. Chapter 16

* * *

**_Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:_ ** _"The path has now closed, Ichigo. The path to a world without fear. The Human World, Soul Society, Hueco Mundo. They belong together as one. They should have been brought together, that life and death may mingle as one. But now that path exists no longer. All thanks to you, Ichigo. How disappointing. Because of you, life and death will not lose their form. All living things will continue to live their lives in fear of death...for all eternity."_

* * *

Rukia’s ears are bleeding, yet her eardrums are still somehow in one piece.

How she is sure of that?

Because she can still hear the infernal screaming of the spirits, but even that is nothing compared to the terrifying light coming from the crystal. It seems that the Outsukama wants to achieve becoming a certified sun.

Every fiber of her being is shouting at her to run to Ichigo’s side, but the only sane part of Rukia left shouts back that she will be less than useless if she goes there and worse, she might die in the process.

So Rukia decides to trust the part of herself that makes the most sense and stands back, though her teeth are clenched painfully, trying to follow what happens through these numerous impediments.

A little further away, both Ishida and Inoue watch with various degrees of helplessness. Rukia barely finds Mayuri, so close is he to his machine and almost swallowed over by the light coming from the crystal. Isshin tries to approach, but the air itself seems to oppose him and push him back in his place.

It seems to go on forever, at least that’s how time passes for Rukia.

In reality, who knows how few seconds dragged on?

_“What is going on?!”_

And Aizen isn’t helping things with his incessant questions.

With a small huff, Rukia considers pressing the little button on Kurotsuchi’s radio just to break Aizen’s eardrums.

“The ritual started, but then it stopped and those spirits or whatever started screaming.” Toshiro reports, close enough to her that she miraculously overhears over the mess. His tone is unassumingly dry considering the situation they have lying at their feet. “And they won’t stop. Also, the crystal had some big cracks. Is that why they started screaming?”

There is a pause from Aizen before he answers, although Rukia can read the uncertainness in his voice.

_“It is a possibility.”_

“How do we make them stop?” The tenth division captain asks, Rukia suspects, just for the hell of it.

But Aizen does not rise to the bait – at least not in the way they expect him to.

_“Let me check my ‘How to use the Outsukama for morons’ guideline book and I will get back to you in a second.”_

If the situation wasn’t so dire, it would have been funny.

“Any ideas, Kurotsuchi-taichou?” Isshin shouts at the top of his lungs.

From where only the back of his captain’s coat is visible through the wall of bright light emitting from the crystal, a white arm extends and offers a thumb up. Uncharacteristic gesture aside – though it does make Uryuu’s face spasm amusingly – Mayuri says nothing else and Rukia wonders what the hell did that want to mean.

“Anyone else?” Yoruichi yells and Rukia’s trembling hands curl over her chest.

She grips her haori tightly, bunching up the material in her fists as she looks straight into the eye of the storm, willing something – _anything_ – to happen.

_Come on, Ichigo!_

_Do something._

_Say something._

_Give me a sign._

An overly loud _crack_ that Rukia feels in her soul resonates over the hellish screaming and it seems that she isn’t the only one who has felt it.

Uryuu jerks, as if someone slapped him and Orihime yelps and flinches away from the crystal, like she was burned. Rukia catches the fear on her face, but before she can place herself more steadily in front of the other woman, Mayuri comes sailing through the air.

He collides with Isshin when the other man jumps to catch him, more because he wants to shake some sense into the madman and less because the former soul reaper is concerned about the scientist. But whatever goes, as they say.

_“What’s going on now?”_

Rukia ignores Aizen, too preoccupied with listening to Isshin try to get some sense back into Mayuri, so that he can interrogate him more thoroughly.

“Do you hear this?” Uryuu asks unsteadily and Rukia glances back at him curiously.

“What is it?”

The Quincy’s glasses gleam in the powerful light as he pushes them up his nose.

“Exactly. The screaming stopped.”

Five heads turn in unison to find that, indeed, the infernal screaming of the six spirits stopped.

 _But what now?_ Rukia wants to ask, though she is afraid to sabotage the sudden peace.

“W-What do you think it’s happening?” Orihime looks on strangely at the crystal, who is only getting brighter by the minute.

“Aizen, the screaming stopped, but the crystal’s getting worse. Was there anything about this in those books you’ve read?” Yoruichi sends urgently through the line before she turns around and sends a kick at Kyoraku’s head.

Rukia startles, having forgotten for a minute that the captain commander is still with them.

_“What are the spirits doing now?”_

“Standing around the Outsukama.” Toshiro answers immediately, likewise bringing his sword up, but only half-heartedly.

“Come now, this is no time for fighting!” Kyoraku tries to reason with them, but Yoruichi just bares her teeth in warning.

“My apologies, captain commander, but there is no way we’re stupid enough to trust you not to screw this up for us at the first opportunity.” Toshiro calls for shikai, aware that any expansive fight might represent a hazard with the already unstable crystal not very far away.

Kyoraku tilts his hat with a derisive smile and says flippantly.

“I think you’ve managed that quite well on your own.”

Isshin catches him off guard with a punch to the face.

“That felt nice.” The former Shinigami shakes his bloody knuckles to get rid of the pain.

Rukia leaves Kyoraku in their hands and turns back around as Aizen comments.

_“My hypothesis is that they sensed that something was wrong with the crystal and they tried dealing with it, but it didn’t work. Though I have no idea what could have stopped them.”_

“I think I know.” Isshin says, deadly calm.

Rukia follows his eyes to where they rest on Mayuri’s machine.

Its interface is filled with blinking lights, and it seems to be _functioning_ as it pumps Yhwach’s black reiatsu towards the crystal. The rest of the process is lost where the cable disappears into the bright halo of light that surrounds the Outsukama, but Rukia prays that it will work.

“Captain Kurotsuchi’s device seems to be in working order.”

The scientist in question scoffs from his prone position on the ground where Isshin left him.

“There was no question that it wouldn’t!”

Uryuu and Orihime spare him a pitying glance but the Quincy also scowls.

“Then why isn’t Kurosaki out of there?” This he asks both Aizen and Mayuri.

The interdimensional criminal answers first.

_“That is because Kurosaki Ichigo hasn’t yet won his fight against the crystal.”_

“Is he planning to this decade?” Uryuu lifts his glasses again, a nervous tic rather than a real necessity at this point.

_“You’re there, why don’t you ask him?"_

“Is it me, or is Aizen suddenly sassier?” The Quincy mutters under his breath and Orihime pats his arm consolingly, though Rukia inwardly agrees even as she chances another hopeful look at the crystal.

 _Come on, Ichigo_! She chants inside her mind.

The machine continues pumping, Kyoraku continues to play at fighting while keeping an eye on the crystal. The six spirits float above the Outsukama, soulless.

And then, just like it was always meant to happen and they were just imagining that it doesn’t, the Outsukama splits in two down along its height. The sound is similar to a hundred windows shattering, though the tendrils of the echoes reach deeper than her ears. Rukia shivers, suddenly hit by a cold wind.

But the room is the same, just less bright.

It takes her two seconds more than it should, but the others take much more than that. The only thing that propels her feet forward is the flash of orange that she’d recognize anywhere.

Unconscious but perfectly fine, Ichigo falls towards the ground, as graceful as a sack of rocks. He’d have hit his head, had Rukia not slid on her knees on the last meter to catch him. Her estimation of the distance is thankfully correct, and she is able to cushion Ichigo’s head, even as the rest of his body still slams on the floor and makes her wince.

For a long moment, she feels untethered and distracted, like she’s having an out of body experience. Her dissociation brings forth the small fear that she might be dreaming, and it would be far from the first night where she’s dreamt that they almost rescued Ichigo, only to wake up and find that he’s still a prisoner. But his hair is soft when she treads her hands through it and his chest is moving up and down, reassuring that he is indeed alive.

Tears fall down her cheeks, unbidden by the realization that they did it, that they saved him. The wave of relief is so powerful that it takes her breath away.

Voices shout around her, but Rukia could care less about what they are saying right now. She could stay here forever and just watch Ichigo breathe, remind herself that he’s alright now, that he’s safe and far from the danger of being a puppet for the rest of eternity.

But the world wants to remind her that she can wish however long she wants. Things will hardly ever go how Rukia wants them to go.

“You take the other part, Uryuu!” Isshin yells as he and the younger boy run up to the crystal and start to push both of the pieces back together again.

There’s already a good deal of Yhwach’s reiatsu floating seemingly inside the crystal, but they need to unite the two parts again because: a) they need to keep Yhwach’s painstakingly gathered reiatsu from spilling out and b) both Aizen and Mayuri consider that, once enough reiatsu is gathered, the crystal will jumpstart again and take it from there.

“Should I use the Shun Shun Rikka?” Orihime asks, looking between the struggling men.

“No, that would do more bad than good.”

Mayuri is back on his feet. He walks up to the crystal as well, eyes narrowed as he watches the fragments of reiatsu cling together in a denser mass.

“Yes, just like that you two. Push it with more force!”

“Would you like to give us a hand?” Uryuu spits through gritted teeth as sweat trails down his face.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Mayuri admonishes. “You seem to have it under control.”

Before the Quincy can send some chosen words in the scientist’s direction, the crystal seems to move on its own. The two pieces move to rest against one another like they are drawn together by a magnetic force.

Uryuu meets Isshin’s equally bewildered look over the distance between them.

But the crack does not close off completely and soon enough, reiatsu starts to seep through. It starts like a tendril, but it soon becomes like a whirlpool and it gathers above the Outsukama.

 _“We are definitely screwed.”_ Toshiro mumbles over the frequency.

_“Can someone explain to me what exactly is going on?”_

Uryuu takes the bullet, mostly because he’s a professional at giving bad news by now.

“We got Kurosaki out, but Yhwach’s reiatsu is doing something strange.” He takes a step back as more reiatsu takes flight into the whirlpool. “It’s gathering _out_ of the crystal, right above the dais.”

 _“That’s not good.”_ Aizen follows after a pause, and Uryuu makes sure to have the button pressed when he snorts.

A sudden cackling fills the wide room and everyone tenses. Kyoraku steps around Yoruichi, their fight now forgotten in the face of their former common enemy making an appearance.

“I had a feeling that we were going to end up here.” The captain commander says with a sigh, but Mayuri scowls angrily.

“My invention is perfect! This only happened because of the crystal.” The scientist accuses unnecessarily.

“I agree, captain Kurotsuchi.” Kyoraku’s mouth presses into a thin line as he follows the slow path of the reiatsu.

It seems to curve and extend and, soon enough, it takes the form of the last person they ever wished to see again. 

“Rather unfortunately, your hopes have been destroyed, Kyoraku-soutaichou.”

Yhwach – or _whatever_ he is – grins down at them. His eyes are shadowed by his long hair, but his mouth conveys enough of his gratuitous arrogance and oh, it is so very obvious that the bastard is inordinately pleased with himself. For beating death, for beating fate, and ultimately, for beating Ichigo in the race for the Soul King.

Yhwach chuckles eerily once more and raises his hand, summoning a sword made out of his black reiatsu.

Uryuu already has an arrow notched and he lets it fly, but it does nothing more than make a moving target for Yhwach to bat away. Isshin grips the hilt of his sword tight enough that his knuckles turn white.

“Not now,” he rasps through a clenched jaw.

Yhwach angles his head slightly as if to hear him better.

“Life never goes quite how you wish it does, don’t you think? Just take your son here, for example.” His invisible eyes travel to the spot Rukia is rooted to, and she feels the invasive feeling of his gaze on her. Her hands tighten around Ichigo’s shoulders. “Even in the ultimate dreamland, he never thought of himself as deserving _real_ happiness.”

It’s too much to unpack from one single statement, and besides, Yhwach’s arm is already moving, arching for an attack. But it never comes, even as they wait for it, weapons at the ready.

Rukia closes her eyes, ready to receive the attack, even as she hears Orihime’s shield materialize right before them.

But there is no need for any of that. Yhwach freezes in the act, and when she lifts her chin, somehow, Rukia can tell that his eyes have gone wide.

The crystal pulses, as if with renewed energy, and the chains rattle along the ground and climb up the walls, causing deep marks in the concrete.

“N-No!” Yhwach bats away at an enemy that only he can see. “No!”

In front of their eyes, the Outsukama starts to shine again, but this time the light is dimmer, less violent and it morphs in two different shapes.

Rukia watches as two pairs of hands each grab onto Yhwach’s hair, shoulders, clothes, wherever they can grasp and drag him inside the crystal. Her brows furrow in confusion when she realizes that the hands are small, as if belonging to children, but the moment passes by much too fast to make complete sense of it.

She will wonder about what she saw later – about the small hands, about the thin, short limbs and about the face of one scowling little girl and one grinning little boy that looked right to Ichigo for a short second and nodded, as if pleased.

They disappear as fast as they appear, in another shower of light. The cracks in the Outsukama repair themselves, sealing inside all of Yhwach’s reiatsu that the two presences pushed inside. It pulses once, twice and then gathers to form Yhwach’s visage, but only just so. His torso and head are there, but there are no limbs to be mentioned.

“Hm,” Mayuri huffs and crosses his arms, incredibly put off for all the wrong reasons, “it seems that I did not gather the whole amount of reiatsu, after all.”

Rukia watches the last crack seal itself, bringing the crystal back to being complete.

They don’t even get a moment to breathe a sigh of relief.

Ichigo’s eyes suddenly open, but they are unseeing as if a veil has been draped over his gaze. He starts to hyperventilate as soon as this happens, and Rukia struggles to keep him from hitting his head on the floor when his arms start to flounder.

“Keep him down, Kuchiki!” Mayuri barks as Isshin immediately rushes to her side. “His body is devoid of any reiatsu, but it is still trying to find some to start healing. What are you waiting for, Inoue Orihime?!”

Orihime startles, but it is a good wake up call to spring her into action.

Uryuu takes several aborted steps, unsure of what to do or how to help.

“Ichigo! Calm down! Oi,” Rukia barely avoids a slap in the face.

“Kurosaki-kun!”

The man in question gasps for air, mouth opening and closing as if to say something. It takes him several tries while Orihime activates her Shun Shun Rikka and summons Ayame and Shun’ou to put him under Souten Kisshun.

“ _Kazui_!” Ichigo sputters more words, and Rukia wonders if she’s heard wrong, but then he manages to say it one last time before once more going still under Orihime’s healing powers. “ _Kazui_!”

Rukia watches his eyes flutter close and sighs in relief when his breath evens out and his tense muscles relax. She has no idea what ‘Kazui’ could mean, but this is no time to ask such things.

Unarguably, the hardest part is done, but that does not mean that the next step will be a walk in the park. The prime example chooses that moment to step forward, though he barely manages more than a few centimeters before two zanpakuto and a fist clad in shunkou are aimed in his direction.

Kyoraku’s mouth quirks into a tight smile, mirthless and surprisingly sharp.

“What’s next?”

His question reverberates through the room, batting at the back of their minds with doubts and unnerving revelations that slip much more easily beneath their shaky guards.

“Now?” Isshin manages to crack a grin, however pitiful. Behind him, Santen Kesshun materializes. Uryuu and Mayuri grab Ichigo from both sides and lift him up on it in one surprisingly fluid motion. “Now we run.”

The group dashes away faster than Kyoraku can blink.

Orihime and Rukia take the lead, guiding the rest through the hallways. Ichigo’s immobile form is just half a step behind, the shield and the healing dome effectively sealing him inside a protective cage. Uryuu runs behind with Isshin and a grumbling Mayuri.

“Inform me again, why do I need to participate any further?” The captain asks derisively, shooting Ichigo a criticizing glare.

“Because there might be aftereffects and you are the specialist here.” Isshin explains simply and pats the man so hard on the back that Mayuri stumbles. “Now run faster!”

Uryuu presses the button on his radio and speaks.

“We have Kurosaki in our possession and are currently heading for the exit. Where is the Garganta?”

It takes Aizen almost one full minute to answer – a minute in which Uryuu’s stomach grows heavier and heavier with dread. Then,

_“Change of plans – you will take the more scenic route.”_

Everyone’s eyes widen at the statement and the dread only grows stronger as they wait for Aizen’s next instructions.

* * *

Kyoraku hums under his breath, slightly impressed by the fast exit Kurosaki Isshin and company pulled. They, at least, seemed organized enough for that.

“They won’t make it very far, you know?”

Yoruichi scoffs. “You should know better by now than to underestimate them.”

“Even with all the reinforcements you called, I’m ready to bet on our victory this time around.” Toshiro releases a small smirk in retaliation. “No offense, captain commander.”

Kyoraku spares the younger captain a glance before his eyes lift to the cracked ceiling and further, to the heavens above with a sigh.

“So you’re finally in your rebellious teenager phase aren’t you, captain Hitsugaya?”

* * *

The fight in Vestibule City has consequently moved _above_ Vestibule City.

Byakuya and Shinji steadily climbed higher and higher to get as close to the palace as they can.

“I think that it must be around here.” Yumichika slashes with a hand and lifts up the palace’s map with the other. He turns his wrist and looks at the paper from another point of view. “Or not.”

“Give me that!” Rangiku snatches the crumpled paper but first uses it as a shield when somebody’s blood sprays in her direction. “Watch it!”

Ginjo gives a shrug and dives back into his fight with Hisagi.

The sixth division captain inwardly sighs as he spots Chad fly up to the pair’s side. Maybe the man can bring some semblance of logic in this insanity, especially because now their biggest problem is positioning themselves under the right window.

 _“Right there is fine.”_ Aizen speaks through the radio and Byakuya cannot believe it when he realizes that it is a relief to hear the madman confirm that their location is correct.

“See?” Tsukishima lifts his hands in a shrug, though he slices mercilessly with his sword when Iba comes too close.

Byakuya turns his head, trying to locate Grimmjow and Nelliel. The woman is a couple of feet away, but the blue haired bastard is almost half a castle away.

“Ikkaku, get away from there, the captain’s going to kill you.” Yumichika scrunches his nose up at the bloody image, but the bald lieutenant only grins, fearless.

“Here we are!” Renji lands near Shinji with Hanatarou in tow. The medic grips at the lieutenant’s shihakushou for dear life, eyes wide as he watches the fight going on around them.

Somehow, Byakuya and Hirako had found themselves in a calm kernel inside the storm that is the battlefield, but the noble doubts that it will last much longer.

“Yamada Hanatarou,” Byakuya addresses the boy, who yelps with surprise at being put on the spot so soon after his last accomplishment – which was impressive, Byakuya will grant him that, “you will accompany the group to Hueco Mundo.”

“W-Wha-What but!” As per custom, Hanatarou starts to protest. But then, like a sign from the great spirit, Ganju flies by, pushed back by an explosion from his adversary. The beaten and bloodied man turns just in time to catch his friend’s eye and offers him a midair grin and thumb up that serve to somewhat strengthen Hanatarou’s resolve. “Ganju-san!”

Renji sighs tiredly and his shoulders droop as he offers.

“I’ll go get ‘im.”

Byakuya shakes his head at their strange antics. He will never be able to get used to these peculiar characters that Kurosaki, and by extension, his sister associate themselves with.

_“Grimmjow, Nelliel – it’s time.”_

Both Arrancars use sonido to cross to where Byakuya and Hanatarou are standing. Grimmjow mumbles under his breath, irritated that his fun is over while Nelliel is more than ready to put this behind her.

“Let’s go, Grimmjow.”

The man scowls even as Byakuya glares at the impudence he once again shows.

“Yeah, yeah!”

* * *

_“Once you finish descending to the level below, start counting the windows. It should be the seventh one on your right.”_

“Right, great.” Uryuu huffs as his feet finally leave the stairs.

As if they weren’t already running for their lives, now they had to climb downstairs as well because, according to Aizen, ‘the windows of each level do not align with each other and also timing is key’.

The Quincy doesn’t want to know what that means.

“Keep your head up, Uryuu!” Isshin bellows insanely loud for an invader that has just kidnapped the Soul King. “We’re almost there!”

Uryuu winces at both the high volume and the enthusiasm that has appeared a little too early in the game.

 _“Fifth,”_ there is a clear tension in Aizen’s tone as he counts down along with them, _“fourth, third, second, now!”_

Rukia makes the leap first, destroying the window so that Orihime will not get hurt. Uryuu finds with some alarm that she jumped without a second’s hesitation and his dread only grows when Orihime follows suit, though she releases a small yell that has his stomach drop along with his blood pressure.

Kurosaki’s immobile body is next and then Isshin kicks Mayuri through the opening and then takes the leap himself. Uryuu brings up the rear, taking one last look behind, just in case someone dared follow them. When he looks out of the window, one leg propped to jump, nausea takes a hold of him at the sight of the splaying battlefield and the little forms of their allies, who are, it seems, _well below_ them.

“Do you mean that we have to fall the whole height of the palace?!” Uryuu screeches through his radio even as he jumps.

He sends a lengthy curse in Aizen’s direction, hoping that the winds are favorable and the words will reach the bastard faster.

Heads turn up to look at them as the group falls, five bodies surrounding a large orange shape that is almost a sphere.

“There they are!” Shinji exclaims with a grin, shielding his eyes for a better view.

Byakuya’s lips thin into a tight line as he follows his sister’s trajectory.

 _“Where’s the Garganta, Aizen?!”_ Uryuu would never admit to it, but now he’s well into panicking.

 _“Don’t panic, Ishida Uryuu.”_ Aizen says smugly and the Quincy longs to punch the bastard in the face. _“It’s almost here.”_

Mizuiro’s head jerks up in surprise.

“Is it?”

Aizen rubs his chin, eyes trained on the rapidly falling dots and the two at the bottom of the palace.

“I certainly hope so.”

Keigo’s head hits his keyboard again, making the computer release a pitiful beep. Tatsuki sighs as she touches her aching temple.

Tension runs high.

But not as high as Uryuu’s blood pressure. He feels close to having an aneurysm.

 _“Aizen?”_ Isshin grunts the prompt and Aizen sighs.

_“Grimmjow, Nelliel?”_

Grimmjow turns up to look at the falling bodies with a scowl and mocks.

_“Yes mother, we’re almost ready.”_

Nelliel closes her eyes and raises her arm while the other Arrancar does the same.

Everyone on the battlefield stops to look at the absurd scene.

Inside the tech room, the air is stale and filled with so much tension that Karin almost chokes.

Inside the palace, Toshiro counts down the seconds until it’s safe to leave Kyoraku on ice, turn tail and run away.

Uryuu’s face is sweaty enough to constitute a shameful fact, but at least he’s falling too fast for anyone to see it. Finally, after an eternity and a half in which that stupid Garganta just wouldn’t open, the black void yawns below them, ready to admit inside the idiots falling from the sky.

Rukia opens the path forward with an impressive reishi road that glows in the dark recesses of the void, illuminating their path to Hueco Mundo. Orihime offers a smile and salutes as she falls behind the woman. Chad jumps in just after them, reaching a hand to stop Kurosaki’s fast descend and help stabilize the Shun Shun Rikka for the journey ahead.

Once Kurosaki’s safely inside, the whole royal dimension gives out a sigh of relief, whether affiliated with the Seiretei or not. Mayuri shouts something unintelligible and probably irritating, which makes Uryuu quite happy that he’s not in hearing range.

The Quincy spots Byakuya fly through the Garganta’s entrance after the scientist, gripping the back of Hanatarou’s shirt and dragging the poor boy with him. Behind them, Isshin falls with a flourish and Ginjo follows suit with Tsukishima in tow.

Uryuu falls last, as he was the latest to jump, but he’s nonetheless caught up on the distance during his fall.

_Damn Quincies and their perfectly aerodynamic bodies._

Grimmjow and Nelliel land just behind him as the mouth of the Garganta closes.

In the tranquillity of the dark dimension, Uryuu finally allows all the tension he has accumulated to leave his body. He hadn’t realized that he was so high-strung on it until his muscles relax in a painful manner and he exhales, all the air going out of him with a swish.

_It’s over, it’s finally over._

The others don’t seem as relieved as Uryuu is, most probably because there is still the problem of Kurosaki opening his eyes, but that will take a while. And Uryuu won’t hold his breath while waiting for the idiot because if there is one thing he knows for sure about Kurosaki, it is that he is an overdramatic bastard.

He will be fashionably late and graciously succeed in almost giving everyone a heart attack.

But Uryuu won’t fall for his pseudo-cousin’s schemes exactly because he is not an idiot.

It is as simple as that.

* * *

_“Ichigo is in the Garganta and heading for Hueco Mundo.”_

Captain Hirako’s words are the spell that breaks the unnerving strain they have been drowning in.

It is like a breath of fresh air after two weeks in the Muken.

Aizen exhales, back still rigid and mind still uncomfortably set on the thought that this is not over yet. But it is, his role is done, and he nailed it – if he says so himself.

The former soul reaper allows a small smirk to grace his features while the humans inside the room throw their hands up in celebration. Keigo hugs Yuzu tightly and the girl smiles through her tears and jumps on her sister next, ready to impart her happiness with anyone who is willing to share it.

Mizuiro allows Keigo to drape an arm over his shoulders and pump his fist in victory while shouting loudly next to his ear. Tatsuki exchanges high-fives with the two boys and hugs the Kurosaki sisters tightly.

Don Kanonji executes a poorly choreographed victory dance, which is as ridiculous as his other routines, but just this once, Aizen cannot find it in himself to care. Kon jumps from one person to another, shouting and jumping and, curiously, asking after Kuchiki Rukia.

Aizen’s observations are interrupted when he receives a hard pat on the back, courtesy of Kukaku Shiba. He turns to her with a small glare, but the woman’s grin is voracious.

“Nice job!” Aizen quirks an eyebrow at the surprising compliment, but Kukaku doesn’t let him off the hook just yet. “This was a good first step in starting to make amends for my brother’s death.”

“And a few others, I’d say.” Tatsuki props her hand on her hip, the look in her eye pointed enough to make Kukaku guffaw.

“I like this one! Your name is Tatsuki, right?”

Aizen shakes his head, quite ready to be out of the conversation. He looks to the maps, where still many dots are blinking. He searches for a way to extract the others because their plan of extraction didn’t cover many of the details that have just transpired and now it is redundant.

But his mind is too tired, still catching up with the last moments of the daring escape, so Aizen finds himself at an impasse, though not for long. His gaze falls onto Yuzu and the corners of his mouth lift with an idea.

“I’d say that a celebratory escape strategy is in high demand. What do you think, Yuzu?”

The girl looks up at him with a curious expression for a long moment before she _beams_. Next to her, Karin throws her a dubious look.

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea!”

* * *

They set Ichigo up in Hueco Mundo, in the former palace of Las Noches. There are still rooms intact from when their last masters used them and Halibel has been nice enough to offer them space and leave them alone. He doesn’t know how they managed that one, and he doesn’t care to find out.

Kurosaki gets a big room, big enough for the crowds of caregivers always at his side and the horde of visitors that ambles in and out of the door at any given hour of the day.

Uryuu had to give it to the heads of the plan – they were perfectly right.

Hueco Mundo’s atmosphere is rich enough in reishi that Orihime can dispel her Shun Shun Rikka and simply leave Kurosaki to breathe unaided. She checks on him periodically, just in case, but Hanatarou is also here and he reassures them that physically wise, everything is in working order.

Things take a while to settle down into a sort of routine, but after they do, there is nothing left but to wait for Kurosaki and listen to the news from the other side. The Seiretei has yet to decide what to do with half of the upper echelons who rebelled, but Uryuu doubts that they can afford to exile them all.

And yet, whatever they will decide, he has a feeling that it won’t bode well for any of those poor soul reapers.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i should give Uryuu a prize for his service; this boy fought harder in this fic than in tybw istg  
> also Aizen has just about had it and it's been a pleasure to bring him to that precipice;  
> in other news - guess who's back? back again? 🍓✌
> 
> if you think it's over, think again 👀


	17. Chapter 17

* * *

**_Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:_ ** _"The sealed King of the Quincy. Over 900 years, he shall recover his heartbeat. Over 90 years, he shall recover his intellect. Over nine years, he shall recover his power. And over nine days, he shall recover the world. Let us go forth. [...] These nine days will be the end of this world."_

* * *

**FOUR MONTHS LATER**

* * *

“… and they have yet to close it, but I don’t expect them to do that for a while.”

Toshiro takes a swig of his sparkling drink, but his gaze does not shift from the tall hills and the cloudless sky.

Next to him, Karin hums and leans her hands on the ground behind her. They are sitting on what she has dubbed ‘his favorite hill’, but Toshiro vehemently denies that name simply because he just likes this place and there’s nothing more to it.

“What about my brother?”

 _How is he? Is he close to opening his eyes?_ Hangs between them as per usual when the subject of Kurosaki Ichigo comes out of Karin’s mouth.

Toshiro exhales through his mouth.

“Same as usual.”

Which is to say that there’s been no change.

Kuchiki’s been standing at his bedside for four months straight.

Ishida, Inoue, Sado, they all hung around Hueco Mundo to look after their friend while their human friends in the tech room have all returned to Karakura along with Ichigo’s sisters and Sousuke Aizen.

Toshiro hasn’t been to Hueco Mundo in a while, but Kon makes a good messenger thanks to his size and good reiatsu control. They don’t need to open a full Garganta when the subject in question can fit through a tiny, interdimensional square.

Toshiro checks the time and sighs, resigned.

“I have to check up on Aizen.”

Karin affords him a sympathetic look before she grins.

“I know they said it’s a mission, but I really think that they sent you here as a punishment.”

Her comment falls blandly and Toshiro sighs again because _he knew that, didn’t he?_

“They most certainly did.” His admission seems to come as a surprise to Karin. “The captain commander and the Central 46 couldn’t afford to exile or arrest all the people involved.” Toshiro flicks a blade of grass with his finger as he continues to talk, and Karin continues to listen. “They tried, but it was just too costly. I got a tiresome punishment, but it’s easier than what Hirako or Kenpachi have to deal with.”

Karin’s eyebrows climb on her forehead and she asks, just to be sure.

“Kenpachi?”

Toshiro can spot the incredulous light behind her eyes from a mile away.

“You’d be surprised by how creative the captain commander and his lieutenant can get.” The boy says sourly. “At least Ayasegawa and Madarame are there to keep him from going on a rampage.”

And isn’t that a strange thing to be thankful about? These days Toshiro isn’t so sure.

“What about that crazy clown?”

The captain snorts.

“When he’s not in Hueco Mundo, Kurotsuchi is holed up in his lab. From what I’ve heard, he found some new stuff to play with in Hueco Mundo.”

In retrospect, the madman is probably the only one who’s yet to receive a serious punishment that doesn’t entail ‘not to leave the barrack grounds’, as if Mayuri doesn’t have a million ways to do that without literally stepping outside. It’s obvious that Kyoraku and Nanao were at a loss on how to deal with him.

Karin gathers her knees to her chest and rests her chin on them, turning her head in his direction. She looks serious enough to warrant Toshiro’s full attention, and yet she ends up asking after his lazy lieutenant again. It’s rare these days that the sisters see the woman.

The boy rolls his eyes.

“Matsumoto is living her best human life while mooching off Inoue’s good graces and apartment. Thankfully, that Tatsuki woman is sometimes there to keep her in line.”

Karin bursts into giggles at the general description of Rangiku’s occupation in the last four months and Toshiro strains a smile, just because it’s nice to see her relax after so many months where her skin was ashen and her hands were trembling. The twins haven’t seen their father in almost half a year, but this once, Toshiro cannot send any reprimand his way.

It is hard to have children and to ultimately have to choose, and yet it makes sense that Isshin decided to stay with Ichigo this time around.

The twins can manage on their own and it’s not like there’s isn’t a small army of soul reapers in Karakura watching over them.

“You should go check if old man Aizen needs his hand held to the bathroom.” Karin’s smirk is mischievous and Toshiro makes sure to send a warning glare her way, make it clear that he does not enjoy her joke.

But Karin doesn’t care, nor did he expect her to. She rises to her feet and pats her pants to get rid of any clinging dirt.

“I should also go back before Byakuya-san starts tearing through the city to find me.”

Toshiro snorts, still in disbelief that Kuchiki Byakuya is currently living in the Kurosaki household – _yes, you heard that right_ – and taking his role as the twins’ ‘guardian’ very seriously, much to Abarai’s constant entertainment.

The sixth division captain felt it unnecessary to overcrowd the place in Las Noches after he made sure that his sister is safe and well cared for. He retreated to the Soul Society, only to be directed on an important mission to the world of the living.

Toshiro heard that it turned out to be only one, scared Hollow, but Byakuya has been gracious enough to take the subliminal vacation, kick back and relax. The Seiretei also cannot afford to exile or lose the head of the Kuchiki clan. But for once, uncharacteristically, what Kyoraku thought would be ‘punishment’ by sending Byakuya on a lousy mission far beneath his standards turned into a full and long absence from the other man that, Toshiro’s sure, currently makes the upper echelons sweat.

Abarai is openly and vocally amused by this, even as his own punishment descended on him in the form of Iba-san slamming the Senkaimon in his face, but the lieutenant has been surprisingly game about it even through his incessant grumbling.

They leave the hill behind, separating only at the third big intersection on the outskirts of the city center, where Karin has to make a right and Toshiro should make a left for the shorter route. Aizen’s apartment has been purposefully placed to be far, _far_ away from as many people _and_ as many _important_ people as possible.

And yet, even as he knows this, the criminal still complains loudly about the lack of proper accessibility in his so-called neighborhood. Toshiro suspects that Aizen’s plan is to wear Kyoraku and Nanao down over a long period of time so that they will allow him to move somewhere else inside the city he almost destroyed a few years ago.

Toshiro’s standard-issue phone beeps with a message and his heart skips a beat with the hope that it might be a Hollow or a good distraction. Unfortunately, it is only Yoruichi, who informs him that she’s found Aizen at the Kurosaki home, exercising his right to irritate Byakuya.

“This isn’t good.” Karin says apprehensively before her lips twist into a scowl. “Let’s go before my house disappears off the map.”

Fortunately, they still find the Kurosaki household where it should be – intact and without any visible holes punched into any of its outer walls.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

This is the first thing that Karin asks as she steps into the kitchen slash living room with Toshiro hot on her heels.

Like a snapshot from over five months ago, Aizen sits on the couch with a steaming mug of tea in hand. Only this time, he doesn’t have the black, nondescript one that’s used for guests, but Yuzu’s old favorite one with the pink cartoon bunnies with exaggerated facial expressions.

Karin bites her lip to keep herself from releasing the laugh that bubbles up inside her throat at the image.

“Well, Aizen?” Toshiro crosses his arms as he deposits his behind on a free chair and Karin eyes him critically, her look demanding _why he isn’t doing something more about it?_

But Toshiro has quite a lot of time on his hands these days, and he’d rather irritate Aizen than play the good high school student to his overly sympathetic landlady.

Likewise, Aizen does not seem in much of a hurry to get home or in any way concerned that he’s invading enemy territory again. He simply sips at his drink and it is a wonder that Karin’s glare alone doesn’t set him on fire.

“I was on my usual walk when I met Yuzu on her way to the grocery store.”

Both Toshiro and Karin turn to the last Kurosaki sibling who simply shoots them an innocent smile before turning back to her sizzling pan.

“Aizen-san was nice enough to offer his help in carrying the groceries.” The young girl explains, using a pair of chopsticks to turn over the contents of the pan. “This way I could get everything I had on my list!”

Her happiness deflates Karin somewhat. Toshiro shakes his head slowly, and side-eyes the criminal because he cannot believe in his good intentions so fast – or ever.

“As he should.” Byakuya’s rumbling voice reminds them that the most dangerous element hasn’t been appeased yet.

They turn around when the man enters the room and Toshiro delicately chokes on his spit. Even after all these months it still takes him by surprise when he sees his fellow captain dressed in human clothes that are a little too fashionable to be worn inside the house. The slightly exaggerated outfit, coupled with the rolled-up sleeves and the basket of laundry in his hands, makes the younger captain wish that he could take a photo and live to tell the tale.

“Though that does not explain what you are still doing here.” The sixth division captain’s eyes narrow and, for once, Aizen seems to grow uncomfortable because he clears his throat.

“I was-“

“I invited Aizen-san to stay for dinner.” Yuzu turns around, one hand resting on her hip and pouts in Byakuya’s direction when the man’s expression turns thunderous and his mouth opens in protest. “He was kind enough to help me, Byakuya-san!”

Byakuya exhales softly through his nose, an acquiescence if Toshiro’s ever heard one from him. As Yuzu turns back to her dish, the man steps forward and roughly yanks the blanket Aizen’s mindlessly sat on along with two t-shirts that were previously deposited on the back of the couch.

Toshiro watches his every move, trying to commit it to living memory because he can already estimate its value in gold. Aizen shoots Byakuya a slightly nasty look, but the stoic man has already picked up the laundry basket and retreated into the hallway.

He comes back though, just when Toshiro was about to launch a funny comment at Byakuya’s address. The younger captain promptly eats his words, but Byakuya’s gaze settles on Karin, who is sitting a little too comfortably at the table.

“The woman at the market brought my order today and I sent Renji to pick it up. He just called to tell me that he’s being detained by Yoruichi at the shop and cannot make it to dinner. Please go pick it up and also hand him this.”

Byakuya lifts a plastic bag of his own.

With a sigh, Karin stands up and takes it. “Fine.”

“Be back for dinner.”

“ _Fine._ ”

“Yes, please. The more people, the less awkward dinner will be.” Aizen mutters loud enough for them to hear.

Karin rolls her eyes, but Byakuya is not done.

“Captain Hitsugaya, you are also invited. Why don’t you accompany Karin to the shop and back, make sure that she makes it on time?”

It’s an order if he’s ever heard one. With a long-suffering sigh – though still incredibly happy to take the nearest exit – Toshiro nods and follows Karin out of the door.

In comparison to the inside of the house, where the sizzling tempers and freshly cooked dishes combined into an almost irrespirable atmosphere, outside Toshiro can breathe more easily. He inhales greedily and follows Karin’s sure steps in the direction of the shop.

“I wonder what’s so important that captain Kuchiki needs at this hour.” In lieu of anything else to say, Toshiro opens an easy subject.

These months, words come harder than they should, and some things are too sensitive to be carelessly addressed. He’s learned to steer clear of them and try to lift the mood with something less heart wrecking in the meantime. Spirits know that Karin has been much too tense lately, tenser than he’s seen her in the months leading up to _‘the plan’_.

“It’s probably just his ecological, farm-grown chicken.” Karin snorts and Toshiro shoots her an incredulous look. “He’s settled in the world of the living scarily easy. Got all kinds of contacts at the town market for fresh produce and stuff. He even found a better supermarket with lower prices at the other end of our street!”

The girl shakes her head, though it is fonder than Toshiro would have expected. Byakuya isn’t much of an emotional hand to hold, but he comes through when it counts. Kurosaki Isshin must have had a heart attack when the noble told him that he’d be looking after the twins, though between him and Kukaku Shiba, Toshiro is glad that the sixth division captain has taken on the role.

In the short time that Byakuya’s known them, he managed to worm his way into the twins’ hearts and, Toshiro suspects, the girls have done the same in return. The rapport between them is casual enough to account for that, and it is incredible what a vacation after another apocalypse is able to do for the soul.

“That’s a skill I must look out for.” Toshiro half-jokes and Karin smacks his arm.

They end up buying ice-cream because the road is long enough to warrant a treat for their efforts.

Renji opens the door to Urahara’s shop, face sweaty and eyes crossed with tiredness.

“Yo.”

“You look like hell.” Karin deadpans as Toshiro chews on the last of his cone.

The lieutenant scowls at her. “Gee, thanks.”

A loud shout causes all three of them to jump. Renji turns his head and shouts back.

“Would you keep it down?! Yoruichi-san’s going to kill us!”

“What’s going on, Abarai?” Toshiro uses his captain-voice and his pitiful height as he tries to look past the man.

Renji sighs in defeat and his shoulders droop.

“Captain Zaraki snuck out after captain Kurotsuchi when he left for Hueco Mundo today.” He explains with a respectable amount of dread. Toshiro winces, afraid to imagine what kind of disaster is currently taking place in the other dimension. “And captain Hirako is on a visit to the Vizards. Somehow, Ikkaku and Yumichika convinced him to bring them along.”

So that’s what the mess below is all about. Karin touches her fingers to her forehead and stretches her arm towards Renji to hand him the bag. Toshiro is still curious to know what’s inside.

“Byakuya wants his chicken.” She says by way of explanation.

Renji gingerly takes the load and nods, disappearing back into the shop to presumably pick up the package.

“I don’t want to know, and I don’t want to see.” Karin chants under her breath, tapping her foot on the ground and steadily ignoring any strange sounds coming from inside the house.

“’Sup?” Jinta’s head pops out of the window, but Karin promptly ignores him too.

Toshiro nods in a polite greeting but he immediately regrets it when the other’s boy lips lift into a sleazy grin.

“Here you go,” Renji returns with the right acquisition, but just at that moment, both men from squad eleven burst into the main room, looking scared and on their way out.

“Hey, hey!” Renji glances from one to the other with confusion. “What the hell-?”

A pair of glowing yellow eyes tell him everything he needs to know. Toshiro gulps at the dangerous aura the owner of the shop exudes, but Karin grabs his wrist and starts to drag him away.

"Pretend you do not see it!” She hisses as they briskly walk away. “Thanks, see you, chicken, _bye_!”

They leave the shop behind and Toshiro wonders if the building will still be standing tomorrow morning.

“This is getting out of hand.” The captain whispers and sighs in relief when they turn the corner.

“You’re telling me, this place is a mess!” Karin clicks her tongue, but her shoulders fall as the air whooshes out of her. Her gaze falls to her feet and, in the silence of the evening, she confesses. “I just want Ichi-nii to come home already. Then he can deal with his messy friends!”

Toshiro huffs and thrusts his hands into his pocket. The moon tonight is full and bright against the few stars that surround it.

“It’s not going to be long now, I’m sure.” He says, just to make her feel better. Someone has to keep their hopes up, anyway. “And then you’ll be rid of us.”

The smirk he turns on her has Karin rolling her eyes with a scowl.

“I didn’t mean it like that, and you know it.”

They walk in silence for a few minutes before Toshiro says, tentative and small, “I know.”

Karin counts her steps and asks when she has managed to gather enough courage.

“You’re planning to go back soon, aren’t you?”

She refuses to look at him, but Toshiro knows that her attention hangs on his every word.

“I will wait until Kurosaki is home and things have settled down somewhat. Probably will accompany Kuchiki-taichou and Abarai back when they decide to return.”

Karin hums in acquiescence, even though Toshiro has the nagging feeling that she’s not saying everything that’s on her mind. But she’s stubborn enough that she will keep it to herself until she decides that it’s worth saying.

“I have to meet Ryuuken-san tomorrow for my training.” She looks at him then, eyes gleaming with a mischievous light and a smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. “Why don’t you come with?”

Toshiro pretends that he thinks about it very hard.

“I think I will.”

Karin throws her head back and offers a small laugh.

“Good! For a second I thought you’d say that you have a date with Aizen.”

Toshiro scowls as a muscle in his temple spasms at the impudence in her words.

 _Incredible_.

“You-“

“We should hurry, or Byakuya-san will chew you out for dinner.”

“Why’s it suddenly my fault?”

“Because he will believe _me_ way before he will ever believe _you_.”

And her innocent tone is all the confirmation that Toshiro needs to know that this is exactly what will happen.

With another sigh and a growing headache, he says.

“Great.”

* * *

**ONE AND A HALF MONTHS LATER**

* * *

Ichigo wakes up five months and twenty days after they get him out of the Outsukama.

The days crawled by so slowly that Rukia felt as if eternity was stretching right before her eyes and she could only remain powerless in the face of its might.

Hueco Mundo has been more welcoming than the last time they stepped foot here, though Rukia cannot say that she’s seen many of the sights this time around either. She’s been staying at Ichigo’s bedside more often than not, only taking bathroom breaks to stretch her legs and grudgingly going to dinner when Ishida nagged at her.

Rukia’s path to self-destruction only became more apparent with Ichigo’s return, so Isshin and Ishida had to make sure that there will still be a Kuchiki Rukia when he opens his eyes.

That, and Byakuya threatened every single person in this dimension – Halibel included – to take care of her when it became apparent that his presence inside the palace was only a hinder in the grand scheme of things.

Isshin had to pinch himself a few times before he realized that Byakuya was serious when he said that he will look after the girls in the Gensei. And apparently, Toshiro and Rangiku were already there by the time he arrived.

The former captain knows that his girls can take care of themselves, but he would lie if he’d say that he isn’t incredibly indebted to Byakuya for his thoughtful idea. If Isshin will be honest, deep down he dreaded having to ask Kukaku, especially when the woman has never visited the Gensei in her life. This fact, coupled with her attitude and personality, she was sure to be a hit through the neighborhood and Isshin would have rather avoided such public endorsement if he could.

They set up a routine of sorts, mostly to get Rukia up and out of her wallowing. There aren’t many residents in Las Noches, even with Halibel and her Fracción there, and those who stayed were reasonable enough to not cause many incidents. Ginjo got cranky here and there, but besides Mayuri’s periodical bouts of madness, there wasn’t much going on to speak of.

Hanatarou constantly checked up on Ichigo, but the young man’s vitals were stable even when his spiritual pressure wasn’t. This was what concerned the young medic the most and Mayuri had readily concurred with the assessment.

There was only one cause of concern and that was the capacity of Ichigo’s body to retain reiatsu – which had somehow declined after such a long time spent in the Outsukama. It seems that the crystal had left negative aftereffects even after Ichigo got out and his body was struggling to gather enough spiritual pressure from the world around it.

Thus, Ichigo remained in a deep sleep that resembled a coma but, Mayuri reassured them, it was the way of his body to try and make sense of the sudden change. Ichigo needed time to recharge his batteries and a dozen pairs of eyes watched and monitored his every move for five straight months.

It was worse before it got better. They almost had a crisis when Ichigo’s body almost gave up on him – no spiritual pressure, no energy, and no ability to healthily make the conversion between the two because the Outsukama has seemingly destroyed that mechanism.

Mayuri pretended that he had a cure, but Isshin is less insane than he looks, so he snuck into the Seiretei and practically begged Kotetsu Isane to come see his son. Thankfully, the doctor has graciously accepted his literal cries for help.

“Only this once.” She said with a small sigh of exasperation.

She unblocked the gates of the energy channels that were obstructed, Mayuri scanned Ichigo for any other blockage and when they were sure that this was all, Isshin allowed himself to sigh in relief.

Rukia needed a few days to return to a semblance of herself after the event.

Since then, Ichigo’s condition rapidly improved, and with every day that passed, they waited for him to open his eyes. Even so, the kid seemed to want to take his time, but Isshin couldn’t begrudge him this.

The list of boring activities that were available inside the palace was long, but after five months Isshin was ready to bury his head in the white sand outside. Ishida was of the same mind, Rukia was a joy killer because she was so tense and Orihime had enough bad memories of this place to make her reticent in doing much of anything around Hueco Mundo.

Chad seemed to take it the easiest and Tsukishima was already in his element, practically glowing in a world with a normal human population of zero.

The most interesting thing to ever happen was when they woke up with Kenpachi trashing the place, which took Isshin by surprise, mostly because he didn’t expect the man to find _anyone_ to fight in a place inhabited by less than twenty people. But he did, somehow, and Grimmjow had a blast. Most importantly, it got them out of their hair, which made Nelliel extremely thankful.

The sight of Ichigo with his eyes open is almost a surreal experience, and Isshin cannot help the wide smile that stretches over his face when he sees his son finally awake.

It’s a stone off his chest and the relief it brings is powerful enough to make his knees tremble.

_We did it, Masaki, he’s safe!_

* * *

There is no exaggerated ceremony when Ichigo wakes up.

It catches Rukia deep inside her thoughts, and it happens on one of the days when the early evening silence just seems to stretch and stretch. She’s big got plans for after dinner that include taking a walk with Orihime, if only to help get the woman out of the room she’s been stuck in when she’s not assisting Ishida in the kitchen or helping Chad out with something or the other.

One minute, Ichigo is in the same state as before, but the next time Rukia blinks back to reality, she finds his brown eyes watching her, steady and clear and _aware_.

Her heart takes a leap out of her chest and she sits up straighter, suddenly at a loss for what to do. There are a thousand things sitting on the tip of her tongue, but none of them mean much of anything at that moment.

In the end, it is still Ichigo who speaks the first word, because Rukia is too preoccupied with gaping at him like the idiot she is.

“Yo.”

His voice is, needless to say, absolutely horrible. Only her years of experience in regard to Kurosaki Ichigo allows her to interpret the meaning of the sound he just made.

It helps though.

Reality slams back into her wired mind and she’s immediately on the alert, though she tries to make her movements as smooth as possible so as to not pointlessly agitate him.

“Ichigo,” and after so many months of saying his name, now it feels like it once more means something.

Rukia reaches out, though she stops her hand at the last moment before touching his hair, hesitation filling her like a poison. She’s been waiting for this moment for such a long time and now she’s, what? Scared? Maybe she is, but when has _scared_ ever stopped her before?

Ichigo’s eyes shift up to her face when her hand lands in his hair. Rukia offers him a smile that packs behind it everything she’s been meaning to say since the war.

She wants to ask him how he feels, but it’s not like he can give her a real answer. Then she thinks of asking him if he needs something, but this thought brings with it the notion that she should call Hanatarou before doing anything stupid to aggravate Ichigo’s situation. After that, there are only stupid ideas and she ends up _so frustrated_ because of her useless and convoluted mind, _of course she will act like a mindless idiot when the situation calls for anything but that-_

“ _You fool_.”

Ichigo blinks, maybe taken aback by the set of familiar words, maybe surprised that after such a long time, this is the first thing that she will say to him. But Rukia is past caring and she bows her head as tears slip down her cheeks, hoping to hide them with the short strands of hair that fall over her face.

The man on the bed might be unable to move, but he does flash a soft smile that has her release an undignified sob in return. By the time she has gotten a hold of herself, Ichigo has already fallen back to sleep.

* * *

This happens a few more times during the next week. Ichigo drifts in and out of consciousness, and the time interval when he’s awake increases a little more with each time.

Hanatarou reassures them that it is something normal. Mayuri signs off on his final input that Ichigo is functioning at eighty percent capacity with a real chance to touch a hundred by next year. He also grumbles that they’ve wasted enough of his time with this triviality, but somehow Isshin and Uryuu convince him to return for a periodical check-up. Rukia suspects that captain Kurotsuchi only accepts because he wants to get them off his back for the time being.

Isshin is more than ecstatic when Rukia bounds into the dining room to tell them the news. Of course, the majority of the reactions are positive, though Grimmjow and Ginjo unite in their common irritation for the orange-haired menace that made them lose their time around here.

Orihime joins Hanatarou in most of the check-ups, but there’s hardly much that even Shun Shun Rikka can accomplish now that the danger has long passed and Ichigo woke up. His body needs to take the lead now and finish repairing whatever is left on its own. 

Ichigo does not speak much at all when he wakes up to find the whole group around his bed, though Rukia suspects that he cannot and there’s a strange twisting inside her chest when she realizes how many things he has to regain, how many he lost inside the Outsukama.

He grips Isshin’s hand with a serious face, offers Orihime, Uryuu, Chad, Nelliel and Hanatarou a tremulous little smile. Ultimately, he raises his brows pointedly in the direction where Tsukishima, Grimmjow and Ginjo are.

There’s a lot of activity after this initial set of different greetings, but it fades away shockingly soon when Ichigo falls back asleep, right in the middle of flashing a tiny smirk while Grimmjow was mouthing off right in his face.

The former Espada is sufficiently thrown off for long enough to be efficiently extracted before he starts pounding on Ichigo for his insolence, though the rest will continue to laugh about it behind his back for a good long while.

Rukis waits by his side again, but this time her heart is finally full and the demons at the back of her mind have been fended off for a while.

She occupies herself with preparations to return to the World of the Living, even though it’s still going to be a little while until that happens. Ichigo’s condition aside, there is a mountain of political problems that stands in their way now.

Ichigo is basically a fugitive and Rukia is a traitor to the Gotei 13, the Soul Society and she’s pretty damn sure that Central 46 already issued some wanted posters with her face on them.

Returning to the World of the Living – where the Seiretei has a bigger influence and reach than it does in Hueco Mundo – represents a problem right now. From the message that captain Hitsugaya sent through Kon, Rukia knows that Karakura town is full of semi-exiled soul reapers that need to complete their sentences before they will be allowed to return.

Of course, as captain Hitsugaya mentioned before, Central 46 will not be lenient even after the sentence has been served and Rukia does not doubt it. She’s afraid for her brother, for Renji and for everyone else who has willingly participated in their crazy plan, with nothing to gain but with so much to lose.

Rukia was humbled by the sheer number of people who agreed to help, and not for the first time, she was shown how many lives Ichigo touched and influenced for the better. Whether he knows it or not, that is hardly the point, since the fool will probably scold them for putting themselves in danger when his voice comes back.

Then, once they get to the World of the Living, there will be another set of problems waiting for them. Ichigo will need to try and go back to who he was before. Rukia needs to figure out where she fits in that baffling world full of humans and strange juice boxes. Ichigo’s family and friends will have their hands full juggling with Aizen, juggling with Ichigo and juggling with Rukia asking stupid questions.

Hopefully, Central 46 will not send an assassination squad right from the get-go. Ichigo is a sitting duck like this and maybe they should put off going to the Gensei for now-

Something flicks her forehead and Rukia flinches back, startled from her thoughts quite rudely. She glares at the culprit, but Ichigo’s eyes dance with mirth and he smiles. It is a modest quirk of his lips that makes her throat close up with the too big cocktail of emotions that keeps overflowing inside her chest.

“Idiot…” Rukia rubs her forehead and absently reaches for the tall glass of water at his bedside.

He accepts the offer gladly, though his eyes never leave hers. Ichigo keeps watching, he keeps studying her face as if she would disappear any second now, and Rukia wants to smack him because _that’s her goddamn line_.

His voice is still incredibly bad when he speaks, but at least it’s workable now and she can guess what he’s saying anyway.

“You looked like you were going to kill someone.”

His observation makes her scowl slightly, though she doesn’t deny the accusation because she’d like to have a try on the Central 46 and shit if she doesn’t sound like Aizen now.

“I’m considering it.” Rukia mumbles, resting her chin in her open palm and leaning back.

Ichigo manages to lift himself up a little and she doesn’t try to help him because he’s going to wave her off anyway.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, just watching one another. It feels surreal to Rukia, to just be able to stay like this. Her mind still has a problem in grasping that he’s _breathing_ and _living_ before her eyes once more.

“Who?”

The simple word makes her blink, once more caught in her tumbling observations. There’s a moment of confusion before she shakes her head slightly.

“Just some bastards. I will tell you about it later.” She amends when Ichigo looks displeased with the evasive answer. “How are you feeling?”

Ichigo turns his head and scoffs. He glares down at his hands, as if they are the sole problem and not just the beginning.

“Hate that question.”

“I know but answer it.”

“Fine, I guess.”

“You guess?”

“Shut up, you sound like Hanatarou now.”

“I will take that as a compliment.”

They lapse into silence and Rukia allows herself a private smile. Time passed for her differently than it did for him, but she is glad to see that they still retain the same rapport they had before.

She wants to ask him a thousand questions and, somehow, she has the feeling that he wishes to tell her many things in return, but for the moment, Rukia refrains from opening up possibly dangerous avenues.

She can see that something is still hurting him, it is quite obvious to her when he meets her eyes. But just because he’s still recuperating and it’s still a miracle to her that he’s here at all, Rukia will cut him some slack.

There are a couple of weeks until they have to go back, so she lets these subjects of conversation sit until he feels a little better and she’s slightly more tethered to this new reality.

With a small sigh, she stands up and takes the empty glass from between his hands.

“You awake?”

Ichigo shoots a petulant look that has Rukia grinning.

“I will send you some visitors then.”

He releases a small groan, but there’s never a shortage of people who wish to spend time and talk to him. Ichigo knows that he owes it to them to at least listen. He’s been gone for some time now, and while the wounds are still fresh, they have started to heal at long last.

“Anyone you want in particular?” Rukia quips when he keeps silent.

Ichigo munches on his lower lip as he thinks.

“I guess dad?”

He sounds unsure and Rukia quirks an eyebrow in return.

“While I’m glad that you want to spend more time with your father, are you sure?”

There’s an indecipherable expression on Ichigo’s face right then, and it raises all kinds of alarms at the back of Rukia’s mind.

“Y-Yeah, yeah.” He seems to make up his mind because he gives her a nod. “I just-I can’t see them right now.”

Ichigo looks back down at his hands and for someone who is immobile, he is a shifty mess. It makes her frown, but she disguises her disagreement with a bow of the head. A thought nags her now though, and she stops in the process of exiting the room.

“Do you,” the words just can’t seem to come out, but she spits them out anyway, “also want me to leave you alone?”

She can’t bear to look at him, but she knows that if he says yes, she will comply without any protest. But Ichigo sputters and there’s some movement from behind that makes her turn around curiously.

He’s half-turned, as if he tried to climb out of bed but got tired before he reached the muscles necessary to pull his torso up. She sees that his eyes are wide, though instead of the usual fluster, they are calculating.

“No,” he shakes his head, as if to get rid of some stray thought, “no, it’s fine.”

A stone dissipates from her chest, though she offers him no further reply as she walks to the door. At the back of her throat, a comment tries to push forth, but she swallows it down.

A lot is certainly _not_ fine, but they need the illusion, otherwise some delicate things will break, and this is not the place nor the time for that to happen.

So she leaves his room and calls for Isshin, putting off the hardest conversation for another day.

* * *


	18. Chapter 18

* * *

_**Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:** "You speak of your mother. Surely you are more of a man than that, Ichigo! What point is there in grieving her death? She died because it was her time. Her life served its purpose - to give birth to you, and then become my nourishment. Why does this displease you? What greater happiness could she possibly have hoped for?!"_

* * *

Rukia makes the mistake of inadvertently bringing up a touchy subject one week later.

Ichigo’s doing better in the sense that his voice is understandable by humans now and he can move about in bed, though he still needs help in getting out of it.

He’s been having long conversations with Isshin, slightly shorter ones with Rukia and, finally, he agreed to see his friends, much to their immense relief. Rukia could see that Orihime and Chad were suffering from the cold treatment, even though they understood, while Ishida was just about ready to bust a vein or bust down Ichigo’s door.

The meeting was more awkward than friendly though, and it left Rukia just as baffled as it did the other three.

Now that Ichigo can mouth off to her, it is obvious that things were about to go downhill from there, especially when both of them cannot keep from launching comments intended to sting.

“What’s up with you?” Rukia rests her hands on her hips and glares at the immobile man on the bed.

Ichigo raises an eyebrow, intrigued. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t give me that! Why did you act like _that_ around your friends?”

In reality, Rukia is afraid to know the answer, but at the same time, for her peace of mind and maybe to be able to mitigate some things between them, she needs to understand.

Ichigo looks down at his crumpled sheets and it’s obvious that whatever it is, it’s been eating away at him all this time.

Rukia approaches her chair and sits down to be at his eye level. She keeps her gaze on him, but the man’s as mute as a mule and brooding. It’s a nostalgic image, if only she’d been in the mood to appreciate it more.

She frets over asking him, but she ends up doing it anyway. If Rukia is to understand and Ichigo is to get this off his chest, then they need to crack this can of worms open. The longer they leave it to fester, the harder it will be to deal with it later down the line.

“Is it-“ She bites her lip, tries again. “Does this have to do with a ‘Kazui’?”

Ichigo startles, as if she just hit him. He looks up at her with impossibly wide eyes, and there’s fear inside but there is also a strange mix of anger and grief. Rukia’s stomach drops to her feet and Aizen’s words come back to hit her like a freight train.

_“Put simply, Kurosaki Ichigo is currently living another life inside his own mind.”_

And she is afraid – so, _so_ afraid – to hear about that. For all his strange and erratic behavior, it is obvious that lots of things happened while Ichigo was inside the Outsukama, and he wasn’t just asleep and unaware.

“How,” Ichigo swallows heavily, “How do you know that name?”

Rukia exhales, trying to remain collected even as Ichigo seems to fall apart.

“You kept shouting it when you got out of the crystal. It seemed pretty important to you.” She adds and tries to settle her fumbling hands, but a distraction proves important when Ichigo’s gaze darkens with a set of foreign memories that she may never grasp the importance of.

“I, uh, told the old man this too.”

His voice is strained when he speaks, but Rukia is just glad that he has decided to at all.

“Inside the crystal, I lived another life. The end of the war and everything that came after. For me, ten years passed in there.” A hand comes to rub at the back of his neck and it’s suddenly a glimpse of the old Ichigo again, conflicted expression on his face notwithstanding. “Even if it wasn’t real, a lot of stuff still happened and, well, I have to deal with all of that now that I’m not part of that reality anymore.”

Rukia’s heart aches, for him, for the discomforting emotions that must be incessantly battering at the edges of his mind. And he is alone in dealing with all of it because no one can understand what he went through, not this time around. No one had this kind of experience and lived to tell the tale.

Her hand moves by reflex more than real will and curls tightly around one of his above the covers. Ichigo meets her eyes steadily, wearing a somber smile on his lips though his words are warm and reassuring even when it should be Rukia shouting that everything is going to be alright.

“I promise I will tell you. One day.” His head falls forward again and Rukia wants to be able to do more than offer empty comfort, but she’s going to be damn good at it if it helps Ichigo in any way. “But until then I will have to ask you to wait for me.”

A small smile curls across her lips as she lets her hand relax out of the crushing hold it has over his.

“Stupid, of course I will wait.”

Ichigo seems patently irritated by the appellative, but Rukia is too distracted by his hand curving around hers to intertwine their fingers together. She looks at the limbs strangely, struggling to make sense of the sudden change and Ichigo snorts when he sees her expression.

“You’re the stupid one, _stupid_.”

* * *

One more month passes.

They should have left a long time ago, but Halibel didn’t kick them out yet, so Isshin extended their stay long enough to be rude. There are still many things to work through though, so the man took the risk of angering a couple of Arrancars to be able to tackle them properly.

Moving his son is maybe the biggest one, but the most pressing at the moment is finding a proper psychologist for the kid because, spirit knows, he desperately needs one. Not everything can be solved with friendship and empty words of encouragement, no matter how much Isshin wishes that to be true.

There is one in the world of the living that he personally knows. He sends a message to Karin to call the man and inform him of Isshin’s plea. Until then, Hanatarou tries his best, even though Ichigo cannot be bothered to open up about any of his troubles.

This prompts a small argument between them until Uryuu intervenes and both father and son retreat in their separate corners to lick their emotional wounds.

The second problem falls to Rukia’s gigai not being ready in time. That’s partly their fault because they kept Mayuri on the road between the two dimensions, but the scientist reassured them – with a decidedly _creepy_ smile – that it will be ready when the moment came.

Rukia hesitates to think about it, and it will be a leap of fate to get into a gigai designed by Urahara and modified by Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Even the very thought gives her the jitters of fear and weariness.

_The things she’s willing to do for ginger haired idiots._

Ichigo starts to feel better, or at least in enough command of his muscle groups to attempt the great task of walking by himself. Physical therapy exercises are the norm around here, though the idiot tries to make Hanatarou up the regimen because he wants to get better faster.

Which is not exactly how it works, but it isn’t like Ichigo would stay around for long enough to hear about that.

“God, it’s like he’s asking to die.” Uryuu comments as he fixes up his shirt.

Orihime shoots him an alarmed look while Rukia is less gracious and outrightly smacks him on the arm.

“Don’t say shit like that after we put in so much effort to save his ass.” She scolds and Chad grunts in agreement.

Further inside the room, Ichigo falls, though a moment later he shouts at Hanatarou to continue. They watch the spectacle for a few more minutes before Rukia sighs.

“Fine, you’re right.” She relents and the Quincy smiles, pleased that his point of view has been validated.

Orihime pouts, because even her powers have a limit of action, apparently.

“Isn’t there any way to help Kurosaki-kun?”

The sweet girl has the right initiative, but it is redundant when the idiot just has to follow Hanatarou’s instructions – at which he fails just as spectacularly as when he tries to let go of the railing.

“He’s got a long way to go.” Chad comments languidly and they all agree.

Ginjo and Tsukishima leave first. Their help is not necessary anymore and their presence proves to be a distraction, both to Ichigo and to Grimmjow, apparently.

There’s been enough destruction to Las Noches because of Grimmjow and Ginjo’s friendly spats and Halibel is sick of it. Both men return to the Soul Society with the promise to inform Kukaku of how things are progressing, so Kon will be spared the trip.

Orihime, Chad and Uryuu leave not long after, but their task isn’t quite done yet. They are the cavalry going to Karakura before Ichigo’s arrival to complete the last details. Spirit only knows that certain occupants of the small town have been positively _boiling_ ever since they’ve been informed that Ichigo woke up.

Rukia cannot even imagine the crowd waiting for them when they will step out of the Garganta, though the thought does serve to bring a smile to her face.

“Tomorrow then.” Isshin slams his palm on the dinner table, pitifully empty of the usual ruckus, though Ichigo and Grimmjow try their best to recapture the feeling.

Rukia looks up from her meal while Hanatarou’s eyes widen to dangerous proportions.

“E- _Eh_?!”

The boy is obviously scared by the abrupt end this journey has taken, and most likely, he is dreading having to face his captain, his division and the Seiretei again. Isshin pats his shoulder in a way meant to be reassuring, though he mostly succeeds in making Hantarou buckle over.

“Don’t worry! You will come with us to the Gensei first because Ichigo might need a little more medical observation that a _human_ doctor like me cannot offer.” He winks and Hanatarou releases a tremulous smile of his own.

“You will accompany Nii-sama and Renji back to the Soul Society, Hanatarou.” Rukia offers, also in an attempt to make him feel better about the impending hardships to come. “Everything will be fine. Your captain is very kind and understanding.”

“And she was also here to help once, so I’m sure that she will be lenient.” Nelliel smiles sweetly from across the table and the young medic nods in acquiescence, anxiety somewhat settled for the moment into a simmering mess at the back of his mind.

“I don’t get what the big deal is.” Grimmjow mutters, cheek resting in his open palm and meal long since devoured. “Screw those bastards, I say.”

“For once, I agree with Grimmjow.” Ichigo scowls, and the force behind it is much more potent after everything he’s been through.

But the former Espada only shoots him a side-eyed glare and says with a derisive curl of his lips.

“Oh you would, wouldn’t you, dreamer boy?”

The nasty turn of Ichigo’s lips grows even more evident.

“Speaking of,”

Rukia knows that expression and suddenly, she has a very bad feeling that this situation will only degenerate from here. But Grimmjow doesn’t give her any chance to intervene, not this time. He seems set on the sudden thought that sprung into his head.

“You’ve been in your own little world inside that crystal, haven’t you?”

“ _Grimmjow_!” Nelliel hisses when Ichigo’s expression darkens considerably and Rukia’s lips curl, her displeasure evident enough for the Arrancar to notice it.

Grimmjow shoots her _a look_ , one that can loosely be interpreted as _and what about it_ , to which Rukia responds with a silent _I could kill you right now, so you’d shut up_. The blue haired man scoffs and glares at her with an _as if you don’t wanna know too_ , and Rukia leans back in her seat and crosses her arms over her chest, the message clear – _unlike you, I know how to wait._

Nelliel loudly deposits her cup on the table, successfully getting their attention. The expression on her face shouts one simple thing – _both of you stop this right now!_

When she turns back to Ichigo, his earlier anger is gone, replaced instead with a hard to decipher grimace. He seems to mull over something, and he takes his sweet time, even as Grimmjow growls and mutters under his breath, but still loud enough to be heard.

Isshin waits and watches their interaction, interested in how it will play out. Hanatarou, on the other hand, nervously fidgets in his seat as his gaze trails from one person to the other.

The sigh that Ichigo releases is overly loud in the dining room and when he scoots back his chair, Rukia is sure that he wants to leave. Or trying to anyway, as he still has some miles to catch up on until he will be able to properly make a dramatic exit.

But Ichigo only crosses his legs and it is one thing that Rukia’s never seen him do, at least not in all seriousness. Isshin must have the same thought because his eyes widen slightly as he watches his son grab his suspended knee and lean back in his chair, face thoughtful.

“Yeah, I was in a sort of illusion world.” His reply breaks some of the tension hanging over their heads. “At least that’s how Zangetsu put it. My memories are messy – _were_ messy even while I was in there. Some things I knew for sure, others…” Ichigo tilts his head from side to side, as if in consideration. “Not really. It was a strange experience, having a feeling that what you know is the truth, but not holding any explanation as to how I know that it _is_ the truth.”

Grimmjow clears his throat and Rukia wonders if the sudden change in demeanor is because Ichigo actually indulged him for once, or because he’s discombobulated by the soul reaper’s words. Rukia surely is, for that matter, and the more Ichigo speaks, the harder it is for her to imagine what he experienced in there all this time.

“I see.”

Ichigo quirks a brow at the reply, as if inviting Grimmjow to confirm that he really sees it. He doesn’t push though, and for that Rukia is thankful.

Though now that he started to talk about it, Ichigo seems determined to see it through.

“You guys told me that almost a year passed, but in there I lived another life for ten whole years.” He shakes his head, as if still unable to come to terms with that information. “And despite that, I always felt like those years went by so fast. A lot of things supposedly happened, but when I really tried to put my mind to it and remember some of them, a lot was blank space. Especially the period right after the war and up until…”

Ichigo trails off and Rukia sees him literally _swallow_ his words. A strange kind of silence stretches as every occupant of the table waits for him to put his thoughts in order and say something more, _anything_. By now they are all _dying_ to know what Ichigo wants to say.

Expectedly, Ichigo smacks his lips and says instead, “Anyways, when I tried to ask some people about it, they were incredibly flippant. That was one of the signs that something was wrong.”

Rukia pushes back her dismay with an encouraging smile and a nod in Ichigo’s direction. He seems to take heart in it because he squares his shoulders and straightens his back, and she’s glad for it. Now he looks less like someone socked him in the gut while he opens his mouth to speak again.

“How did you realize that everything was a lie?” Nelliel whispers, as if afraid to scare him off.

She leans forward, eyes wide and curious and Ichigo smiles indulgently, as if still seeing the little kid she was before.

“Believe it or not, I didn’t. Zangetsu had to beat that idea into me. He somehow managed to appear inside my inner world after ten whole years in which I basically forgot about him.” Ichigo winces and rubs the back of his head, but Isshin shakes his head.

“That was the crystal, son. It most probably tried to keep Zangetsu locked up somewhere, but he broke free and reconnected with you. It may have been ten years for you, but I’m pretty sure that in our world, he did it in record time.”

The older man shoots a grin that is a little cracked on the edges, but Ichigo takes it as it is and nods back with a small smile.

“I guess…” He allows, gaze lost in the distance of illusory memories. “He pushed me to ask myself some things that I was hesitant to, and after that, a lot of stuff started to make sense and a lot more didn’t. When I tried to ask around, no one would answer me and Zangetsu said that they were all made up from my imagination.”

Ichigo makes a face and Rukia huffs a short laugh.

 _She_ _can just imagine_.

“Or something like that, I guess. I had a lot of luck on my side anyway and I almost didn’t make it out of the crystal, but uh…”

Another moment of hesitation, another flash of a foreign memory that has him retreat into his shell again. Rukia is torn between shaking him back to reality and tearing down Las Noches to waste some of the hot white anger swimming through her veins because they _dared do that to him and they were so fucking merciless about it_.

Head captain Kyoraku should watch his back, Rukia inwardly seethes, and she feels the cold tendrils of Shirayuki extend beyond her consciousness in agreement.

Grimmjow’s never been so silent before, but it seems that either the seriousness of the situation or the mysterious reasons for his sudden interest ban him from interrupting Ichigo, sensing that if he starts goading him now, they will probably never get the full story – at least now raw and unfiltered as he tells it now.

Five solid minutes pass in which Ichigo fights a whole inner battle while they look on with various degrees of awkwardness. Rukia counts the seconds until Grimmjow gets bored but shockingly, that moment doesn’t come.

At long last, Isshin sighs and crosses his arms over his chest.

“It’s alright, Ichigo. When you are ready you can tell us. No use in pushing yourself now-“

“I had a kid.”

The confession falls like a blade over their heads. Rukia is pretty sure that she stops breathing for a couple of long, _long_ moments. And while Grimmjow’s gaping mouth and Nelliel’s hands covering her mouth speak volumes, Ichigo still clears his throat and tries again, as if the first time, even he couldn’t quite believe what he said.

“I, uh, had a son.”

Hanatarou‘s little gasp is the distraction that allows Rukia to regain a semblance of her respiratory capacity.

Ichigo bows his head, gaze fixed on the joined hands over his knee.

Isshin seems caught between elation and crushing grief, and yet he manages to keep it together, and Rukia is glad because he cannot have a breakdown too when she is so damn close to one herself. Someone needs to be strong for Ichigo, and as much as she wants to be that person, Rukia is ready to fall to her knees at every little revelation about his time in the crystal.

She had some theories, but she’s never imagined something quite like _this._ Rukia is afraid to know more, she doesn’t _want_ to. Her mind shouts that she _shouldn’t_ and yet she continues to stay in her place and listen with rapt attention as Ichigo tries to shake off the complicated emotions weighing on his shoulders. He turns his head a little and Rukia meets his eyes for a short moment before he retreats demurely and adds.

“His name was Kazui.”

Cold, harsh reality slams into Rukia then, and she wants to claw at her eyes because _how is it fair that she’s fought so hard to have him back, only to have him here as a whole different person?_

Ichigo’s lived a whole other life and now she’s certain of the validity of the experience, as much as the hope that, maybe, he didn’t shatter in the wind. He is a whole other individual now, with much more weighting on his heart. Rukia half-heartedly wonders if he will ever let her partake in his woes and feelings as he did before, or if he will decide to only allow the person who he had this son with that distinction. 

Rukia knows for a fact that Kazui must be important to Ichigo, considering that the man fell from the crystal, was in the midst of a seizure, and still found the strength to call out his name.

Nelliel coos a little, and she’s maybe the only one more delighted than shocked into oblivion by this revelation.

“How old was he, Ichigo?”

Ichigo scratches his cheek sheepishly as he answers.

“Almost seven.”

A smile blooms on Nell’s face and Isshin leans in, engrossed in whatever other details his son will let slip. Ichigo senses that Nelliel and his father are still interested in Kazui, so he offers a couple of other details, even as it obviously pains him to speak about the kid that never really existed.

Ichigo loved him of course, and him being a parent was probably the most realistic thing that he got to experience inside the Outsukama. It will be hard to get over that, but he also understands that Kazui was never real to begin with and that he was only there to keep Ichigo a prisoner. Even though, in the end, the infinitesimal influence that Ichigo might have ever had over his own son won over and the kid let him leave.

“He had the same color of hair I do, but he was pretty short for his age.”

There, safe details.

Ichigo exhales and his whole body deflates with it.

“In the end, it turned out that he was a creation of the crystal, meant to keep me in that illusion. There was a whole battle because I rushed in there like an idiot.”

_In where?_

“And, _uhh_ , there was another kid,” and Rukia might imagine it, but for a moment Ichigo’s eyes seem to flicker in her direction, “but in reality, she was the embodiment,” Ichigo tone curves into a question and he seems dubious as he speaks of it, “of Yhwach’s reiatsu. Anyway, she attacked me, but Kazui saved my ass and was nice enough to open up a way to send me back.”

Ichigo’s expression dissolves into a soft smile, but then Isshin shakes his head.

Rukia is surprised enough to shift her gaze onto the older Kurosaki as he says.

“I don’t think that Kazui did that out of kindness.”

Ichigo looks to his father, startled and betrayed, but Isshin must want to tear off the rotting band-aid before it festers and becomes a real problem.

“If what you say is true,” Isshin begins carefully, “then the Outsukama was compromised from the very beginning. Yhwach’s reiatsu infiltrated since the moment he first touched it and battled for control with the actual consciousness of the crystal. If Kazui was the embodiment of it, and that other child took the form of Yhwach’s will, then it is quite obvious that the battle was going between those two extremes.”

“But Ichika also wanted to keep me there.” Ichigo rushes in and the name drop brings forth nothing but a numb sort of quality to the whole matter.

Isshin purses his lips. “And she would have most likely killed you before long. I suspect that Yhwach would have made his appearance soon enough.”

His son’s silence is all the confirmation the older man needs.

“Most certainly, the Outsukama knew that as well. It was already split in two parts that raged for control, so it preferred to get you, the impediment and probably one of the root causes, out of it so that it could take care of the invading element properly.”

When Isshin illustrates the situation so clinically, there is nothing to do but sit back and accept it. To Rukia, it makes sense. It does to Ichigo too, though he looks frustrated to accept it as fact.

“I guess you’re right.”

He sounds defeated, but not entirely dismissive of the notion. It is a good step in the right direction, Rukia thinks, even as her lips press together tightly.

Ichigo goes back to his half-finished meal, though he doesn’t look like he has much of an appetite anymore.

“W-Well,” Hanatarou says softly and mostly for his benefit, “that was a strange conversation.”

Nelliel shoots the boy a sympathetic smile, but her gaze dances back to Ichigo and Rukia can see how worried she is.

Grimmjow snorts and pushes his plate to the center of the table before he stands up and retreats without another word.

If anyone thinks it strange, they don’t mention it.

Nelliel offers to accompany Ichigo and Hanatarou to their evening session and Rukia takes the breather gladly.

With a deep inhale, she stands to her feet, ready to dispose of the dirty dishes and maybe take a long, _long_ walk around Las Noches to clear her head. But before she can exit the room, Isshin’s grabs her shoulder and succeeds in stopping her short.

His hand is large and warm, and it is obvious that he wants to reassure her, but Rukia keeps her gaze pointed forward and refuses to look at him. She knows that if she does, he will be able to read the various emotions playing tug of war over her heart.

“Everything’s going to be just fine, Rukia-chan.” The predictable sentence falls out of his mouth and Rukia bites her lip to keep from screaming at him. “But only if you are ready to accept that things will never be the same.”

She blinks at the unexpected addition and, looking up at Isshin, Rukia finds the man with a disgruntled expression on his face that conveys exactly how the situation both aggravates and equally affects him.

“We all thought, like idiots, that being locked up in that crystal will not change anything in Ichigo. That he will come back and behave like usual. That everything will resume exactly from where we left it off.” The former captain sighs and, for a short moment, Rukia can see the weight of the centuries he’s lived pressing down on his shoulders. “But we were naïve! And thankfully, Ichigo managed to remind us of that.”

His hand tightens on her shoulder and he shakes her slightly, as if trying to wake her up and dispel the depressive spell she’s fallen under.

“I know it’s hard, and your feelings are definitely valid – hell! I feel the same helplessness you have written all over your face, but we’ll have to deal with it and that also applies to Ichigo too. He lived ten years in the span of a few months.

I can’t imagine how it must feel for him to travel back in time and see everyone expecting him to be fine and back to his usual self when he left that behind in the Outsukama. The idiot will need all of our help not to fall on his face again.”

Isshin barks out a laugh that successfully startles Rukia out of the sorrowful trance she’s fallen under.

“Like that time with the Fullbringers.” Another two pats on her shoulder and his hand falls back to his side, though he adds one last thing before he leaves her to the mercy of her own thoughts. “I know it feels like the end of the world, but it’s far from it. There’s plenty of time to work things out, Rukia-chan.”

Rukia’s hands clench around the small tower of dishes and she holds onto it like a lifeline. Her eyes burn but there are no tears left to fall, and isn’t she an obtuse idiot that needs to be told word for word to really understand it?

Of course Isshin’s right, but that does not make it hurt any less.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this, but that’s only because Rukia expected him to be frozen in time, not launched ten years forward into the future. When Aizen talked about that illusion world, she’d thought that Ichigo is prancing around Karakura or the Soul Society, living the peaceful days or some self-made normal days or whatever else. Rukia thought that time had no meaning in there and yet it’s been proved to her that inside the Outsukama, time has more weight than anything else.

She was such a _fool_.

And she feels awful about it.

“Damn it!” The words pass through her tightly gritted teeth, even as she presses her lips together to keep them from escaping.

There are no tears left to fall, but grief still surrounds her in the familiar cocoon of misery she’s come to know well over this past year.

It’s going to be alright, she knows that. But accepting the truth and living with it are two very different, very hard things to accomplish when all her hopes still feel like broken glass scattered in the four corners of the world.

She will need a little time, but Rukia is nothing if not precocious at putting her woes aside when the people she cares about need her support more.

Tomorrow, she will be back to her usual self, eyes open and ready to face Ichigo. Ready to get to know him again and discover the extent of the changes he has undergone.

But for tonight, she lets her hair cover her face, leaves the dishes on the table and retreats inside the room assigned to her. The one that she’s barely visited since coming to Las Noches.

She will take a little time to mourn the Ichigo she knew, the one that was lost inside the Outsukama, and whose only worry was protecting as many people as he could fit inside his heart.

* * *


	19. Chapter 19

* * *

_**Yhwach's daily word of wisdom:** " I must give thanks to the souls of the dead. Another day in which I can clearly behold this world."_

* * *

They return to the Gensei one month and five days after Ichigo first woke up.

By now, his spiritual pressure levels are at a victorious eighty seven percent and steadily climbing higher. There is no need to rely on Hueco Mundo’s rich reishi atmosphere anymore, and Rukia cannot lie that she isn’t incredibly happy to once more leave behind this world covered in darkness.

Ichigo can walk on his own now, though not for long periods and he also cannot run yet, much to the young man’s constant displeasure. But, even if they seem like baby steps, the speed of his recuperation is incredible from any other point of view. Rukia couldn’t be happier to see him slowly start to recover some of his old spunk as well.

Mayuri is the first face they see when they exit the Garganta’s mouth in the massive training room under Urahara’s shop. As a group, they are less than excited to be welcomed back by that slightly deranged grin and eccentric personality, but Yoruichi appears before long and brings Ururu, Jinta and Tessai with her.

There are taunts exchanged, even though the young boy is obviously incredibly happy to see Ichigo on his own two feet again.

“Your gigai are ready.” Mayuri claps his hands to get the ruckus to stop and announces.

Rukia releases a sigh in relief and nods her thanks to the twelfth division captain, more than ready to receive her passport for the Gensei.

“What about my body?” Ichigo asks as he watches both his father and Rukia get into their respective gigai.

Hanatarou shrinks at his side, meekly waiting for someone to hand him a short-term body to use.

Ichigo glares at Mayuri when no answer is forthcoming, but the scientist hardly pays him attention as he sends a few last directions to Rukia.

“It is the same design as Kurosaki Isshin’s.”

Ichigo mumbles under his breath something unintelligible.

“No, it won’t suck all the spiritual energy out of you. Unlike Urahara, I know how to make a gigai that works. But it _will_ mask your spiritual pressure from any array of sensors.”

Hanatarou startles when Ichigo starts to scuff his foot on the rough floor of the underground room.

“That feature has been added for your own benefit. Kuchiki-taichou has personally paid for this gigai, you know? It has all the _necessary_ functions.”

Curiously, Rukia turns bright red and sputters when Mayuri says that. Isshin starts talking her ear off, but it’s too fast for his son to follow.

Frustrated that no one is making any move to bring his body, Ichigo barks.

“Oi!”

Everyone stops and turns to look at him.

Ichigo’s ears turn red in his slight embarrassment, but he nonetheless presses on.

“Where’s my body?” He enunciates the words slowly to underline their importance. “I’m pretty sure I left it at home when the war started.”

Mayuri shoots him a blank look that unnerves Ichigo and causes his earlier fire to filter out of him.

“I haven’t touched your gigai-“

“Stop worrying, Ichigo!” Yoruichi waves her hand in dismissal. “The kids brought it back from your house, but it’s upstairs.”

“Thanks, Yoruichi-san.” Then he turns to Mayuri with a scowl. “Why do you keep calling my body a gigai, anyway?”

The scientist’s face twists, as if he’s raising an eyebrow while smelling something foul at the same time.

“I should be asking you that question. Are you so ignorant as to not be aware that the so-called ‘body’ that you have been inhabiting is, in reality, a gigai?”

This puts a stop to whatever tirade Ichigo was about to launch into, and his eyes widen marginally as he continues to look on dumbly at Mayuri for an explanation.

The captain scoffs and gestures with his hands as he speaks.

“Riddle me this – you have been using that body of yours for the past three years, plus the ten you’ve been inside that illusion and you still haven’t figured out that it is a _gigai_?”

A long, blue nail points in his direction.

“Urahara Kisuke cut your soul chain before you traveled to the Soul Society to rescue Kuchiki Rukia. From that moment on, the energy link that was keeping your mortal body alive was interrupted and, as all bodies are _meant_ to do, it started to decompose.”

“But I used it in the days after-!” Ichigo starts to protest, but Mayuri cuts him off with a disgusted sneer.

“The decomposition period takes a while, you know? And it’s not like you to notice since you are so damn oblivious. Of course, after you left for the Soul Society, Urahara Kisuke took your corpse and transformed it into a gigai, so that you will have an actual body to return to when you eventually came back. ‘But it feels like my usual body?’ is what you want to ask.”

Ichigo makes a face at the bastard for putting the problem so clinically.

Mayuri doesn’t care.

“Obviously it does! It’s supposed to do that. With the newest gigai technology, they can perfectly emulate a human body down to the last detail.”

All the fight whooshes out of Ichigo as he deflates, defeated and his world turned upside down.

“So that means,” the boy swallows his shock, “that I’ve been using a gigai this whole time.”

Mayuri rolls his eyes and waves his hand mockingly.

“Surprise!”

With another scoff, he turns on his heels and strides over to speak to Isshin.

“It’s okay, Ichigo.” Rukia pats him on the back consolingly, obviously teasing and even Hanatarou shoots him an indulgent smile. “I’m sure that you haven’t been missing much if you didn’t notice until now.”

The young man throws her a glare of mixed betrayal and irritation, but otherwise huffs and accepts Hanatarou’s help to walk further into the shop.

They leave Mayuri behind with Yoruichi, who promises to keep an eye on the madman and, once up at ground level, his gigai is brought forth by Ururu and Jinta, both wearing tight smiles on their lips.

Ichigo shoots a dubious look to his body – still exactly as he remembers it – before he shakes his head and slips inside. The gigai folds around him like a glove and he exhales in relief.

Rukia allows a small grin when she sees him back to looking like a human, wearing a disgruntled expression and a cute furrow between his eyebrows. With a silent sigh, she slides open the door to the shop, knowing who she will find there and realizing that they’ve let them wait for long enough.

Ichigo, on the other hand, didn’t know – or expected – anything to be waiting for him outside the shop. Which is why he basically jumps one full foot in the air when a chorus of voices rises like a tidal wave and washes over them.

With wide eyes, Ichigo grips Rukia’s hand to steady himself from his too-rapid turn on his heel and looks over the assembled faces with a great degree of elated surprise and confusion.

“Everyone…” He trails off, breathless in the face of his friends and sisters standing right in front of him with huge smiles on their faces.

Yuzu is the first to break away from the group and runs to tackle him into a hug that has Ichigo almost falling off his feet if it wasn’t for Isshin’s rapid intervention. Karin is gentler, though equally as forceful with her hug and her sniffles melt what tension there was still hanging over Rukia’s shoulders.

“Welcome back, onii-chan!”

Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro welcome him back with various degrees of care, though all three wear brilliant smiles, and Ichigo could care less that he’s about to topple to the ground. Even standing up is a chore these days, but right then, he stubbornly pushes down his tiredness, if only to prolong this bittersweet reunion just a bit more.

Orihime, Uryuu and Chad stand at the back of the group with the city’s Shinigami residents, content to let the Karakura gang and Ichigo’s family enjoy the moment uninterrupted.

Rukia makes her way towards them and respectfully nods her head in her brother’s direction when she reaches their side.

“Nii-sama, it’s good to see you.”

Byakuya returns her nod and Rukis swears that she sees a small smile at the corner of his mouth.

“Welcome back, Rukia. You look well.”

She blinks and offers a sincere smile in thanks.

“How have things been?”

Her brother-in-law takes one second too long with his answer, so Toshiro takes the word.

“As fine as they can be.” The short captain crosses his arms over his chest, ignoring the loud conversation between his lieutenant and Orihime that takes place right behind him.

“Byakuya, Rangiku, Toshiro?” Ichigo asks with surprise when the initial enthusiasm between his friends has settled down somewhat and a cozy atmosphere took its place.

His father managed to distract his sisters long enough to let Ichigo slip through to greet the rest of the party.

“That’s captain Hitsugaya to you, Kurosaki.” Toshiro makes a visible effort to reign in his irritation, at least on this occasion.

But Karin is merciless, and she’s nipped her father’s hug attempts in the bud.

“Wonder for how much longer, though.” She grins slyly in Toshiro’s direction and Rukia spots the pulsing vein in his temple with a great deal of amusement.

Rangiku’s unsubtle giggle doesn’t help.

“I will have you know-“

“That we have absolutely no idea what’s gonna happen from now on.” Shinji rounds the corner, as if he hadn’t been eavesdropping for a while now.

“Hirako!” Ichigo looks at each assembled soul reaper in turn before he asks. “What do you mean by that?”

“Because we helped you, of course!” Rangiku throws him a wink, obviously far from mad about their current status as criminals and traitors.

“Central 46 has no idea what to do with us yet.” Shinji shrugs and digs his hands into his pockets. “Hiyori and the others send their regards. They will probably pay you a visit later.”

Ichigo nods, still looking slightly untethered by the news.

“Byakuya! I hope my house is still standing!” Isshin pats the sixth division captain on the back, much to the other’s irritation.

“Of course it is, though I must warn you that some of the things I found inadequate in your home have long since been removed.”

“What’s that mean?” Ichigo sends a whisper to Rukia out of the corner of his mouth.

She glances up at him shrewdly.

“That’s right, I forgot that you didn’t know. Byakuya-nii-sama has been living in your home in order to look after Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan.”

A bead of sweat travels down the side of Ichigo’s face as he tries to imagine this particular _homely_ scene.

“I somehow find that hard to believe.” He says at some point, long after Isshin gave up messing with Rukia’s brother.

“Renji and the others are out on an errand, but they promised to drop by tonight.” Uryuu informs the general audience, while Isshin leaves their side to bring the car around.

Ichigo throws his friend a calculating look, and though he is afraid to ask, it’s been one hell of a day already so he might as well.

“Who are the others?”

“Oh, just Ikkaku-san, Yumichika-san and Kenpachi-san!” Orihime is too happy when she answers.

Hanatarou yelps like something burned him.

Rukia wonders how those three managed to leave the Soul Society, and whether they understand the implications of doing so for a second time, but she supposes that a man like Kenpachi couldn’t care less. And where their captain goes, both the lieutenant and the third seat follow.

“I also talked with Ginjo, and he said that Kukaku-san insists to come soon. You should expect them to drop by tomorrow.” Chad informs his friends and though he gets back a serious nod, the man can see how pale Ichigo’s gotten during these past few minutes.

He steps closer just in case, and his help is warranted when Ichigo’s father finally brings the car to the mouth of the alleyway. It’s just then that Ichigo’s feet finally give out from under him and both Chad and Uryuu help to maneuver their friend inside the vehicle.

Chad can see the strain this weakness puts on Ichigo’s pride, most of all, and he pats his friend’s shoulder in silent solidarity and offers a reassuring smile, which Ichigo gladly returns with a tired one of his own.

Everyone hangs back as the Kurosaki family splits away and Hanatarou leaves for the rooftops with Uryuu as his guide. Orihime and Chad head out first with the Karakura gang, while the soul reapers stay back, resolved to follow on foot after they exchange a few words in private.

“Are you returning to the Soul Society, captain Hirako?” Toshiro asks and Rukia watches the fifth division captain scowl.

“I guess.” Though he doesn’t look too sure of himself. “Just curious if they’ll throw me out again. No hazard in trying.”

“Have Kyoraku-soutaichou and the Central 46 been so harsh in their punishments?” Rukia finds herself asking and her fellow soul reapers turn to her with various expressions that, combined, build a rather strange tableau.

Captain Hitsugaya and captain Hirako’s faces answer ‘yes’, but her brother holds a mild expression that is hard to decipher. Rangiku presses her lips together, as if still working to decide on that. Renji and squad eleven are not here, but Rukia can imagine what her friend’s answer will be.

“I am unsure how anything is going to be at this point.” Toshiro replies with a deep sigh that befits the headaches he’s had because of his position. “Their reaction was different than what I expected.”

“Indeed.” Her bother concurs, much to Rukia’s surprise and slight alarm. He does not look mad, though. “I suppose that we will have to wait and see what their decision will be.”

“Yes, I see.” Rukia nods, doubtful deep inside her heart that whatever the decision the upper echelons inside the Seiretei will give is going to be in any way fair or soft.

She is aware of too many details now, has gotten a hold of one too many secrets that now, whatever anyone says about the leadership, she will not take it without passing it through her _royal_ , hand-made filter.

“I got no doubt that you do.” Captain Hirako’s tone makes her look up curiously. The man watches her critically and Rukia’s stomach does a flip because she can figure out what his next words will be. “And speaking of, I gotta ask you for this favor Kuchiki, even if I know that you won’t like it.”

Rukia swallows down her building anxiety and nods at him to continue.

“I can pretty much guess that you found out some dirty stuff while living in the royal palace.” Captain Hirako’s gaze bores into hers and it feels like he’s trying to read into her soul. “Didn’t you?”

Squaring her shoulders, Rukia nods harshly.

“Yes.” Her gaze flickers from one soul reaper to another, stopping one second longer on her brother before she looks back to Hirako again. “Yes, I did. Which is one of the reasons that I refuse to ever rejoin the court guard squads.”

“Not that you’d have much of a chance, but I admire that.” Captain Hirako grins, but not maliciously. “Alright then, I’d like you to tell us everything.”

Rukia’s eyes fly wide and, instinctually, she turns to her older brother.

“W-What?”

Byakuya nods, cold and detached as usual.

“We all talked and thus decided that we’d like to know what you found out during your time with the Zero Division. I place no pressure on you, Rukia, but I suppose that we simply want to be more informed now that this possibility exists.”

“But-“

“We are already pretty much considered to be traitors.” Captain Hitsugaya shrugs, even though Rukia can read the tension in the lines of his body. “There isn’t much worse we can be deemed as.”

Paradoxically, or maybe just consequently, a short laugh escapes between Rukia’s lips, making her comrades look at her with confusion.

“My apologies, but I disagree with you, captain Hitsugaya.”

Her lips curve upwards, but the smile is full of contempt and it takes everyone aback to see _Rukia_ offering such an expression in public, and to her superiors, nonetheless. Well, former superiors that is. It is a liberating feeling to know that, like another weight has been razed off her shoulders.

“I would rather not tell you anything, simply because I feel that you might regret asking me to.”

The silence stretches for one full minute before Shinji snorts.

“I got screwed by the Soul Society enough times to be aware of that, Kuchiki.”

Rukia quirks an eyebrow.

“Then why have you accepted to return as a captain?”

It dawns on her then and she releases another snicker that makes her brother shoot her a scolding look.

“Let me guess – you thought that you could change things.”

Shinji scowls at her tone. “ _Some_ things yes. And don’t come to me with that bull discourse that ‘nothing can be changed’. Of course, things can change if you’re homicidal enough to try it!”

And just for that, Rukia grins brilliantly at them and nods.

“Alright then. It will be my pleasure to aid you in taking down the central form of government of the spirit world, Hirako-san.”

Shinij’s eyebrow twitches. “’Hirako-san’, huh?”

Rukia smiles ruefully. “I’m not a soldier of the Gotei 13 anymore, even if I will always be a Shinigami.”

Byakuya nods and presses a hand on her shoulder, in solidarity if nothing else. Rukia is infinitely grateful.

“We should wait for Renji and captain Zaraki to return.”

“That’s a good idea!” Yoruichi’s head pops out from behind the open front door. The grin on her face is sharp and the light in her eyes tells Rukia everything she needs to know about her intentions.

And she’s glad that her brother and Renji will have one more powerful ally on their side in this crazy quest to bring anarchy to the spirit world.

“I’ve got Kurotsuchi-taichou tied up for the time being because I thought that he might be interested in this subject. And I’d venture a guess that Aizen would be interested in what Rukia has to say too.”

Curiously, everyone turns to Toshiro and the boy scowls, arms crossed petulantly over his chest.

“I suppose that we can do this tomorrow. Kuchiki has to be getting to the Kurosaki household soon.”

Rangiku leans down with a sleazy expression on her face.

“ _Hmm_ , and I’m sure that taichou also has to be getting to the Kurosaki household soon as well.”

Toshiro bats away at his lieutenant, much to the woman’s amusement and Rukia hides a laugh behind her hand. A part of her finally relaxes and she realizes that she is glad to be back in Karakura, see her brother and the kind people who have traded their high positions for the title of traitors, all to offer a hand in helping Ichigo.

 _The fool is incredibly lucky to have so many people hold him in such high respect_ , Rukia ponders as she walks after Byakuya and Toshiro towards said fool’s house.

* * *

After two days of constant celebration for his safe return with Ichigo’s close friends and family – celebrations that hardly included the man in question, as his stamina is still shit enough to keep him confined to his bed for more than half a day at a time – the house is finally quiet.

Granted, it is a Monday morning, and his friends have high-

Ichigo stops stirring his tea and sends a long look to the empty street beyond the window. Only now he realizes that he has no idea what his friends are doing these days. Not that he knew much about it when he was in the crystal, but that was the illusion’s fault. Right now, it’s his own for never asking.

They can’t be in high school anymore – Rukia said that almost a full year passed, so they should be in university, most likely. That’s–

Awesome.

He is certainly happy for them, even if something inside his chest squeezes painfully with the realization that the world has moved on without him. Or maybe because of him, now that he thinks about it. The fact brings a bitter taste to his tongue and he scrunches up his nose, disgruntled and certainly in a worse mood than when he’d started making his tea.

A knock comes from the front door, soft and innocuous, as if the person on the other side is uncertain whether to make their presence known or not. If Ichigo hadn’t been in the kitchen at that moment, he’d have never heard it from upstairs.

With a frown, he opens the door halfway, only to find the one person he hoped to never see again.

“What are you doing here?”

“My, you certainly seem in better spirits already.”

Ichigo feels it when Aizen’s cold, hard gaze settles on him, giving him a once over that makes his jaw clench and his flight or fight responses to activate. Of course, even powerless and weak, Ichigo’s only answer is to fight.

He doesn’t get to do that though, because at that point Yuzu comes bounding down the stairs, dressed in her school uniform and carrying her bag. Karin is just two steps behind, though the other girl follows at a more sedate pace, still obviously half asleep.

“Good morning, Onii-chan!” Yuzu flashes a brilliant smile that makes Ichigo forget for a second that there is a psycho killer at their doorstep. Propped on her shoulder, Kon raises a hand. “Morning, Ichigo!”

“Morning.”

“What are you doing, standing in the open doorway?” Karin looks beyond her brother and Ichigo watches the way her expression shifts from curiosity to exasperation – wait, _exasperation_?

“ _Ugh_ , you again!”

“Ah, Aizen-san! Good morning!”

“Did you come to mooch off again?”

“Good morning, Yuzu. Karin.” Aizen scrunches his nose and allows a quite derisive, “Kon.” to pass through his lips.

Kon scoffs and glares.

Karin shoots the man an unimpressed look and stalks into the kitchen.

“I hope you have a good reason for busting in on us on a Monday morning.”

Aizen’s lips twitch with the beginnings of a smile.

“I was on my usual walk a-“

“Obviously you were!” Karin exclaims sarcastically and Yuzu shoots her a scolding glance.

“Karin-chan!” She admonishes as Kon jumps off and heads deeper inside the house. The young girl turns to Aizen – who is still standing outside the house – with a wide smile. “Do you want to join us for breakfast, Aizen-san?”

Ichigo has been listening in to the conversation with growing confusion, but when his sister launches that question, he simultaneously chokes on his spit and sputters, much to Aizen’s amusement.

“No, I don’t think that your brother is quite ready to eat breakfast with me.”

But that is not a sufficient reason for Yuzu to let a guest leave without being served anything. She somehow manages to bring – or more appropriately, _wrestle_ – Aizen, the _madman_ , inside their house and, as if that wasn’t the worst thing that could happen on this sunny morning, his sister starts serving him _tea_ and _food_. 

Ichigo is gaping like a literal fish and Karin rolls her eyes and drags him to an open seat at the table, which happens to be right across from Aizen’s.

“You must be confused.” The evil criminal observes as he sips his tea and Ichigo shakes his head slowly.

“I’m fucking terrified. What in the hell did you do to my sisters?!” His fist lands on the table and Karin swats at the back of his head when she returns with plates for all of them.

“He didn’t do anything to us.” The girl scowls, placing the cutlery next. “But he did help save your ass and Yuzu apparently likes him, don’t ask me why. He’s been showing up a lot around here, so you should get used to it, Ichi-nii.”

Ichigo’s eyes widen to an incredible degree during the explanation. But Karin has left his side already.

“Worry not, I do not expect gratitude from you in any kind of form.” Aizen says mildly as he reaches over to arrange the rice bowls Yuzu just dropped off. “But I cannot lie and say that I do not enjoy the hospitality of your sisters.”

Mouth gaping open, Ichigo tries to find a suitable comeback, but words are scarce to come around in his short-circuited brain. Which is why he all but jumps – much, _much_ slower than he’d usually have – in the direction of the door when Rukia climbs down the stairs.

“ _Aizen is here_!” Ichigo stage-whispers to her urgently, hoping that she will be able to put an order to this madness.

But Rukia just looks beyond him, to the kitchen table, where their subject of conversation is calmly enjoying his pre-meal tea.

“Oh.”

Ichigo wonders if his ears stopped working.

“Oh? What do you mean _oh_?!”

Rukia strides inside the kitchen with purpose, Ichigo as close on her heels as he can manage with a sloppy body and soul.

“Good morning, Kuchiki Rukia.” Aizen greets her, sitting up to help Karin arrange the chairs she brought from the living room.

“Morning.”

Rukia crosses her arms. Ichigo smiles to himself, pleased that Rukia will deal with the menace once and for all so that they can have a normal breakfast in peace.

“You’re later than usual.”

“Whuh _-what_!”

Aizen offers an unapologetic smile.

“I was otherwise detained by an errand.”

By now, it is quite appropriate for Ichigo to be in the middle of ripping his hair out of his head.

“Rukia! Why are you suddenly all buddy-buddy with Aizen?!”

Rukia turns to shoot him a glare. “I am not ‘buddy-buddy’ with him-“

“Rest assured, Kurosaki Ichigo, that we tried our best to get rid of him.” Byakuya glides inside in his typical grandiose and dignified manner. He takes the bullet and actually sits himself next to the madman in question. “But he’s worse than lice.”

“Good morning, Nii-sama!” Rukia beams at her brother and he nods in her direction.

“Good morning, Rukia.”

“That hurts, you know?” Aizen says gamely, resting his head on his fist. “And here I thought that you will be happy to hear I went out of my way to pick up your cheese order.”

The captain’s eyes narrow.

“That is very nice of you. What is the catch this time?”

Ichigo looks from one to the other, like in a game of violent tennis, and wonders how those two can fight a battle without swords, right above his salad.

“Why would there be a catch?”

“Because usually, you either want something or you need something.”

“I don’t want or need anything this time around. That gesture was made from the kindness of my heart.”

Ichigo chokes on his orange juice and Rukia reaches out to pat him on the back.

“Then I assume that my cheese is poisoned. Yuzu, please make sure to throw it away-“

“Are you sure, captain Kuchiki? You would be wasting a perfectly good block of goat cheese.” 

This is too surreal.

Every word that comes out of their mouths is more incredible than the one before. Ichigo’s tired and overworked mind simply cannot keep up with this discussion, though Rukia and his sisters don’t seem to find it extremely uncommon.

He wonders, deep inside his soul, how something like this could happen. Was it really his disappearance – capture, _whatever_ – that spurred so many mismatched characters into action and made them act like a real team in order to execute a suicidal plan to save him?

Is he the main reason that his sweet sisters and Rukia can sit at the breakfast table with _Aizen_ and why Byakuya can actually _argue_ with the man without cutting him to shreds on the first occasion?

“You’re out!”

Ichigo’s forehead hits the table, making the dishes on its surface clatter ominously. Isshin grins at his handiwork, while his son shoots him a dark glare whilst rubbing his abused head.

“You damn goat face, what was that for?!”

Isshin barks a loud laugh. “That’s what you get for being distracted, my idiot son!”

His reflexes and his muscles cannot exercise the same power anymore, but Ichigo does his best when he launches a kick towards his father’s face. This results in another loud argument that ends with Isshin crying and running towards Masaki’s poster.

But that also ends shortly because the poster is not in its usual place.

Isshin stops abruptly and gapes at the empty wall.

“Where-Where is my Masaki?!” The man grabs the sides of his head, shocked at the blasphemy.

“That poster was dishonorable and not in good taste.” Byakuya takes one bite of rice as he explains. “Thus, I had it relocated. If you wish to have it back, you will have to negotiate with Karin.”

Ichigo can practically see the way Karin’s eyes sparkle, obviously prepared to give her all and offer their father nothing in return. Isshin won’t be getting his massive poster back any time soon.

“Just shut up and eat, would you?”

They all barely sat down properly when someone knocks on the kitchen door.

“Good morning.”

Toshiro takes the last empty chair and Ichigo’s brows furrow at his choice of clothes.

“What’s up with that uniform, Toshiro?” He asks, referring to the Mashiba Middle School uniform he wears.

The boy’s face twitches, but he abstains from launching his usual reminder and instead busies himself with the bowl that Karin handed him.

“What does it look like? I’m going to school.”

Ichigo chokes for the second time that morning and it cannot be a good track record.

“Since when?” He splutters in confusion, but the captain remains unphased.

“Since I’ve lived here for almost six months. Pass the soy sauce, Aizen.”

“You could be a little more polite about it, Hitsugaya-taichou.”

“I’d rather not, thank you.” Toshiro plucks the bottle out of Aizen’s hand with a smirk, much to the older man’s irritation.

“Your brattiness is showing up again, _captain._ ”

“You’re one to lecture me about that.”

“I’m afraid that I do not know what you mean.”

“Don’t worry, we can explain it to you so you would understand.”

Rukia grins behind the rim of her bowl and Aizen’s brows furrow when he realizes that they’ve ganged up on him again.

He breaks a piece of grilled fish and eats it with vengeance.

“We’ve been trying for four months, Rukia.” Byakuya mercilessly digs a fine blade into the wound. “He is a lost cause.”

“That’s funny,” Aizen remarks blandly, “the whole Soul Society has been trying to show you the same thing for decades, captain Kuchiki. In the end, we thought that you were too daft to get it.”

Karin stifles a laugh with a mouthful of salad while Yuzu simply shakes her head and pouts, like those three powerful and dangerous soul reapers are just bickering little kids.

Isshin outrightly laughs at the scene, while he stuffs his face with food at the same time.

Ichigo, on the other hand, feels like he’s currently having an out of body experience. This was not feasible in any of his dreams, nightmares, illusory worlds or purgatories – nothing could have prepared him for this one particularly domestic scene that he’s found himself smack in the middle of.

Not Toshiro, who is voluntarily going to school, and not Byakuya who is less uptight but still full of snobbishness, which must be an entirely new state of being. Certainly _not_ Aizen, who has not maimed anyone in the near vicinity for more than half an hour, and then there are his sisters, who are barely _phased_ about the whole thing.

Yuzu apparently _likes_ Aizen!

_Aizen!_

A headache is unavoidable now, and it’s not one of those he usually gets because his body is too tired to process things anymore since he just woke up. No, it’s one long lost in the haze of fake and real memories and it’s an incongruous feeling, but Ichigo grabs at it with both hands because it’s maybe the only normal reaction he can claim to have in the face of this madness.

The doorbell rings again and he all but sails out of his seat and over the distance. Ishida’s glasses glint under the warm sunrays gliding towards the earth and his friend nods at him in greeting. The movement is aborted when Ichigo basically drags him inside and whispers urgently, hoping that maybe this time, he will be a little more successful.

“Aizen is here!”

Ishida scowls, as if he’s being told old news and Ichigo’s stomach falls. The Quincy seems to realize something then because his face smooths into a blank expression.

Ishida sighs as he makes to push his glasses up his nose.

“Go get ready Kurosaki.”

Ichigo’s whole thought process stutters to a stop.

“What, why? Where are we going?”

His friend throws him a look of mixed disdain and displeasure that is so familiar, it nearly brings Ichigo to tears.

“To the hospital for your physical therapy session. Hanatarou is already there and I’d rather not leave him in the company of my father for too long.”

Ichigo grimaces and nods, hastily climbing upstairs to get his things.

“Uryuu, my boy!” He hears his father shout at the top of his lungs and the boy shudders, hoping that Ishida can handle the crazy old man until Ichigo comes back down.

He makes it back in a record five minutes, but Ishida is seemingly stuck in the dining room now.

“Ishida, I’m ready!” Ichigo calls out, but the Quincy barely turns in acknowledgment.

“We’ll be just a minute, Ichigo!” Rukia calls instead of Ishida. “Inoue and Sado are waiting for you outside!”

He nods, glad that he doesn’t have to wait around in the entrance hallway for them to finish chatting with the occupants of the table. His eyes narrow when he sees both Rukia and Ishida huddled with Aizen, _speaking_ about subjects he’d rather not try to guess.

 _This_ – this is not the world he thought he’d come back to. He absently wonders if this is the illusion world instead, but he feels Zangetsu scoff at the back of his mind and Ichigo sighs.

“Good morning, Kurosaki-kun!” Orihime waves at him happily from beyond the short gate of the property.

Ichigo tries to school his features into something less tense and friendlier because his friends don’t deserve his mismatched animosity, especially Orihime. But Ichigo still has a lot of stuff to work through, especially concerning her and Kazui, and all they’ve shared together yet not.

He hasn’t told anyone but the therapist his dad called about the _whole_ experience in the Outsukama. Piece by piece, he is airing out the real story and the man is actually helping, much to Ichigo’s combined happiness and frustration, so he might be certified as sane and left alone if he does his best to get better as soon as possible.

Ichigo doesn’t know how his dad knows a therapist that is also aware of the spiritual world, but at this point, he shouldn’t be surprised. It, at least, makes things less difficult for him because the man takes everything that he says at face value without throwing him in the loony bin for his crazy stories.

Maybe, one day soon, Ichigo hopes to be able to tell his friends and family everything as well, without everyone being still so emotionally invested and consequently making things worse. There will come a day when everything will come out to light and this time, he is determined to tell the story on his own terms.

He makes his way to the gate, thinking that it is also disconcerting to see the changes and experience first-hand how striking they can be, but it’s at least a little better than having to only _hear_ about them. Which is what happened in the months he’s been stuck in Las Noches.

“Morning, Inoue. Chad.”

Chad grunts with a smile and even pats his shoulder. Ichigo masks his own grin by turning a disgruntled glare in the direction of his house.

“Ishida kept telling me to hurry up, but now he’s the one making us late by talking to _Aizen_.”

Ichigo makes a face, fishing for some kind of a reaction that does not include _not reacting._

Orihime giggles and even Chad seems more amused than angry or irritated, as he should be. Ichigo rubs at his temples.

“Alright, I will bite. _Why_ is everyone suddenly best friends with Aizen?!”

Orihime clamps a hand over her mouth, maybe surprised, maybe just not prepared for his outburst.

“No one is really best friends with him, Ichigo.” Chad answers him patiently. “But he did help a lot in making the plan and during your rescue. I guess everyone started to accept his presence in our lives at that point, especially because he is living in Karakura now.”

Ichigo opens his mouth, but Orihime speaks before he can.

“Kuchiki-chan and Uryuu-kun were the first to come up with the idea to save you and they went to Aizen in the beginning. After that, they were always around one another, discussing tactics and whatnot, Kurosaki-kun.” A small, nervous smile climbs on her face. “Uryuu-kun kind of became Aizen-san’s unofficial handler here in the living world and Kuchiki-san the one in the Soul Society, when they illegally brought him to the Shiba clan archives to search for a way to get you out of the crystal.”

She is rambling now and Ichigo blinks owlishly, feeling slightly untethered by the tsunami of new information being inflicted upon him.

Chad appears to sense his friend’s distress because he places a gentle hand on Orihime’s shoulder to signal her to stop.

“Sorry, Kurosaki-kun!” Then her apologetic expression brightens into a sweet smile. “Oh look, Uryuu-kun and Kuchiki-chan are coming!”

Discarding the ‘Uryuu-kun’ namesake that keeps popping up and Ichigo doesn’t know what to do with, there is one thing that stuck with him from Chad’s answer and he turns to his friend, confusion etched into his features.

“You said that Aizen is living here?”

Well, it might be obvious since the man is out and walking around town, but Ichigo only knows of one venue of residence for Aizen and it is less nice than Karakura. 

Chad nods. “The Soul Society decided to send him in exile a few weeks after the war was over.”

“Most likely, they didn’t want to bother with keeping an eye on their most dangerous criminal.” Ishida comments blandly as he and Rukia walk up to them.

“Oh, that’s certainly what happened.” Rukia agrees, crossing her arms over her chest. Her face takes on a darker hue then, less relaxed and certainly unfriendly. “The upper echelons came to the conclusion that it will be more beneficial for everyone if they strip Aizen of his spiritual powers and send him to live and repent among the humans he once nearly killed.”

Ishida scoffs, but it’s without heat when he says.

“They just didn’t want to bother.” He turns to Ichigo then, and as if to reassure him, he adds. “He doesn’t have a zanpakuto anymore and they locked him up in a gigai that strips off spiritual pressure, much like the one Kuchiki-san had a long time ago. Right now, the man is barely more than a normal human with minimum spiritual awareness.”

Ichigo is hardly happy to hear that, but he guesses that as long as they keep an eye on Aizen, the crazy madman won’t start another war again.

“Then I guess it’s fine.” Ichigo sighs and rubs at the back of his head. Without thinking, he says. “I was just surprised since back in the Outsukama, Aizen was kept in the Muken.”

There is a short silence at his admission, and most likely, his friends are trying to digest his words. What he is thinking about the striking differences between this world and the other, it apparently goes both ways.

“Anyways, we should get going.” Rukia’s suggestion breaks through the tension and everyone nods.

Relieved, Ichigo follows his friends and it is maybe the first time in a very long time that he’s starting to feel like he’s home.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Ichigo, he can never catch a break


	20. Safe Ledge

* * *

_“It seems that this is the end. Forgive me, for leaving everything to you in this way … Kurosaki-san… Kuchiki-san.”_

(Urahara Kisuke, "Empty Hall of the Puppet Temple")

* * *

Kukaku and Ganju show up later than expected, two days later in fact.

Ichigo is equally happy and nostalgic to see them again. 

Anyways, two days later since his first visit at Karakura Hospital on Monday, with five physical training sessions (of which only two were doctor-approved) and two sessions with his therapist (that lasted way more than the hour and a half allocated to him) under his belt, Ichigo feels on top of the world.

He is tired, but in a good way and it feels as if the distance between who he was in the war and who he is now keeps on shrinking and shrinking.

Maybe some things can go back to a semblance of normal, Ichigo catches himself thinking when no one is there to keep him distracted. Maybe it was a good sign that he didn’t have any nightmares that night, or that the memories acquired in that illusion world keep recurring with less and less intensity nowadays.

He is also rarely preoccupied with the complete cocktail of mixed emotions that they bring, and it doesn’t stop him in his tracks or keeps him from what he was doing anymore.

That’s the moment that his cousins happen upon his doorstep, just as Ichigo is brooding over these facts. They bring with them a variety of different souvenirs from the Soul Society and a rather large well of untapped energy that’s still keeping them going even now that it is approaching dinnertime.

Ichigo got tired just watching them argue back and forth with his father, but he guesses that it must be some kind of shared trait within the clan.

“Anyway, Kaname couldn’t come with us, but he asked me to make sure that Ichigo promises to visit as soon as possible.” Kukaku lifts a finger in his direction and Ichigo blinks, having no idea what or who she is talking about.

“Who is Kaname?”

“He’s our cousin.” Ganju explains, throwing himself on the couch next to him.

“What! We have another cousin?” Ichigo turns accusingly to his father and Isshin has the nerve to just nod in return.

“Oh, yeah! He’s nice, looks just like you.”

Ichigo raises an eyebrow, intrigued. He’s heard the story about the thirteenth’s last lieutenant, Shiba Kaien, and how Ichigo looks like him too. Is this another Shiba family trait?

“We met him when we visited Kukaku-nee-san in the Soul Society.” Karin continues and smiles at the woman but Kukaku clicks her tongue.

“I told you to call me Kukaku, Karin.”

But Ichigo has difficulty in swallowing down his shock.

“Y-You guys went to the Soul Society?!” And yes, he’d rather not have his sisters go to the Soul Society when even walking around the Rukongai districts is dangerous.

“A lot of times, Ichi-nii.” Karin says dryly, knowing that he’s panicking for nothing. “At first, we were going there every month to visit you up in the crazy castle,”

Ichigo winces at the reminder and he is apparently not the only one. The expression on Rukia’s face is suddenly closed off, Byakuya and Renji exchange an undecipherable glance when they think no one’s looking, and his father is unnervingly silent for a long second.

“And then when the plan was complete, Yuzu and I stayed behind with Kukaku-see-san and Ganju while the others left for the palace.”

The doorbell rings, but Ichigo is too distracted to react.

“That’s right!” Yuzu agrees with a beaming smile. “Karin-chan even helped defend us from the Shinigami. I helped Aizen-san make up a good strategy when they were trying to rescue those poor servants that were taken hostage!”

His sister looks incredibly proud of herself, so proud that it brings a smile onto Ichigo’s lips in spite of the way his mind is reeling with the newest revelations. Yuzu leaves to answer the door, so Ichigo turns to Karin.

“You were fighting? Against the Soul Reapers?”

Karin quirks an eyebrow, as if daring him to not believe her, but it is Ishida who answers from the hallway.

“Of course she did. She’s almost a fully-fledged Quincy.” His friend stops in the doorway to assess the room, one hand fixing the cuff of his light blue shirt. “At least in my opinion.”

Karin pouts and rests her chin on her open palm while Ichigo’s jaw promptly falls. His head turns a little too fast in her direction. For a short second, Ichigo sees green stars.

“You have Quincy powers?”

His sister’s back straightens and she squares her shoulders. It is like looking in a mirror, seeing how she talks about her powers. Ichigo doesn’t think he’s ever actually been that proud, but what does he know. By the look Rukia surreptitiously shoots him, the answer is quite obvious.

“I do! Uryuu and Ryuuken-san were nice enough to train me.”

Ichigo nods and offers a smile as genuine as he possibly can make it when the weight of the news still presses onto his shoulders.

Karin beams at him and he’s glad that his effort paid off. Ishida shoots him _a look_ , but Ichigo just waves him off. That’s when the others enter the room, with Keigo sprinting towards him, arms open to capture his friend in a tight hug.

“I-chi- _go_!”

Ichigo lets his upper body fall on the sofa, safely in the opposite direction of where Ganju sits. But his head does fall on a lap, just as Keigo sails over his head and starts to make a rather painful descent towards the floor.

He looks up at Rukia’s face, eyes wide and even bluer than he remembers them to have been inside that illusion world. Her lips are slightly parted as she studies him in turn and Ichigo hopes that his ears aren’t as red as they feel, but it is also pretty hard to find it in himself to care much about that while he keeps on looking into her eyes.

Someone clears their throat – Byakuya, most likely – and then the ruckus of the living room slowly filters back in. He expects the leery looks, though Rukia takes it better than him and only offers a patient smile to their audience as Ichigo sits up properly again.

He doesn’t dare meet anyone’s eyes, much less his father’s or, god forbid, _Byakuya’s_ , but the edges of expressions that he does catch are obviously smug and sleazy, which, in turn, make Ichigo irritated.

So he takes it out on Keigo, obviously.

“You could have killed me!”

Keigo is a twitching mess on the floor, but he sits up and points accusingly at Ichigo before he bellows.

“No way that could have happened!”

“Of course it could have! I’m still not up to a hundred percent, you know?” He scowls and hopes that the last vestiges of his embarrassment die along with this argument.

“Meaning that he’s as strong as a noodle.” Renji snickers and Ichigo turns irately his way.

“What was that? I can take your ass out no problem.”

“Bring it on, noodle man!”

And just like that, the night continues to speed towards dinner, as the wonderful aromas from the kitchen indicate.

Byakuya joins Yuzu at some point, apparently used to help her out in the kitchen and Tatsuki keeps Orihime occupied just so she won’t try too. And after almost a decade of eating her food, Ichigo sighs with unbounded relief.

Even though he might be slightly exaggerating, he’s learned that with Orihime’s cooking, it is better to be safe than sorry, and Tatsuki certainly knows that.

Aizen shows up at some point, but there’s less animosity among the group’s members, just like Ichigo has seen in the past few days. The madman’s presence is still a distraction, but Ichigo thinks that he can live with it for everyone’s sake.

The rest of the soul reapers show up soon after and a sliver of panic hits Ichigo, but mostly because he feels like there are a hundred people inside his small house. He doesn’t like its chances with the three most dangerous eleventh division elements here.

But somehow, they have a table long enough and chairs to fill it.

Kenpachi promises not to maim anyone, and most are happy to hear that and move on. They don’t even stop to question if they should really believe the unpredictable man, but Ichigo guesses that no one wants to try and get into an argument with Kenpachi unless someone goes to the hospital and, thus, defeats the main purpose of the earlier promise.

Aizen also jokingly promises not to poison anyone, though he does receive a few glares in return for his witty comment.

At this point, Ichigo wonders if he’s the only sane one and prays that no Arrancar makes an appearance tonight.

He relaxes when the food is served and soon, he forgets all about it because he is too busy enjoying the delicious meal that Yuzu cooked. She really outdid herself tonight.

Conversation flows easily and he lets it drone in the background of his head as he concentrates on eating the food in front of him. At some point, a conversation inevitably filters through his muddled thoughts.

“… but I’m surprised that their admissions are so early. Oh! You must prepare and give it your all, Sado-kun!”

Chad smiles and nods at Orihime, who is flexing her arm with a serious expression on her face.

“Eh? What are you guys talking about?” Ichigo asks curiously.

Ishida opens his mouth and Ichigo can already read the reproach that he wasn’t listening on his lips. Thankfully, Chad answers before Ishida can start an argument with him.

“A music school in Tokyo.”

And that promptly brings Ichigo’s world to a stuttering stop because of a number of good reasons that he will list after hearing what Ishida has to say, considering that he sighs very deeply before he talks.

“Chad is applying to a _university_ in Tokyo,” the Quincy turns a scolding look in Chad’s direction. Their friend just shrugs, as if school and university are on the same degree of importance for him, “to study music theory.”

“Some of my old bandmates are already there and they recommended the track to me.” Chad explains and Ichigo’s lips start to tremble.

“What about you, Orihime?” Ishida turns the subject in the girl’s direction,

‘ _Orihime’,_

Though he seems genuinely curious.

“Are you going to stay at the shop?”

Orihime’s smile doubles as she shakes her head. She sees the confused look on Ichigo face, so first, he clarifies for his benefit.

“I’ve been general manager at the bakery for almost six months now.”

Ah, it makes sense. Ichigo vaguely remembers the bakery in question.

“But I think that I’ve managed to save up enough money to pay the first six rents and, in the worst case, some of the tuition!” The delight in Orihime’s voice is extremely obvious. She looks up to Ishida first with a wide smile and then to Sado and adds with finality. “So I think I will try to apply for next year, too.”

“What will you study, Orihime?” Rukia’s voice comes out of nowhere, but Ichigo grabs at it like a lifeline, the only familiar thing in a universe of strange things that completely differ from what he knew – or didn’t know.

“Well, it was hard to make a decision, but Uryuu-kun pointed out that if I pursue a business major, I may be able to go in either of those directions, so I think I will apply to the same university Sado-kun is applying.”

At his side, Rukia nods with an understanding grin. “Your grades are amazing. I am sure that you will be able to whisk that scholarship deal thingy.”

Orihime giggles at the clumsy words Rukia uses.

Ichigo leans back in his seat, a thousand questions flying inside his mind and yet the easiest problem now is how Rukia knows about scholarships, of all things.

“What about you, Ishida?” Ichigo finds himself asking, if just to verify the theory that keeps growing stronger with each one of his friends’ news. “Are you also going to Tokyo to study?”

Ishida pushes up his glasses and looks at him as if the answer is obvious. Which it is, but Ichigo just wants to make sure. And yet, the reply that the Quincy gives them is unexpected.

“Yes, I got a full ride beginning this semester and I’ve been around to different workshops in Tokyo since last year, actually. Fashion and design at Bunka Fashion College.”

Ichigo feels devoid of any more shock by this point. His friends are going away, to Tokyo apparently, though he should have expected that. Ninety percent of the high school graduates in Karakura end up going to university in Tokyo because their town and the insane megalopolis are just a stone throw’s away from one another.

Twenty minutes with the Shinkansen. One hour tops with the regional train.

Some kind of a pause passes between them and at the end of it, Ishida says.

“You look like you want to say something, so spit it out.”

Ichigo smiles and shakes his head, defeated and yet so damn glad about it. This is the only time he’s more than happy to lose.

“Nothing – I’m _happy_ for you guys! I might not look like it, but I really am.”

His voice tumbles a little on the sentence that follows, but then it grows steadily stronger because Ichigo feels that it is high time he lets some more of his old life out into the real, tangible world that does not only exist inside his head.

“And I’m insanely happy that you get to do the things you love, at least this time around.”

It is like a switch has been flicked off. The buzzing that surrounded the long table steadily dies out as everyone present appears to hold their breath, wanting to hear whatever else Ichigo wants to share about his time inside the Outsukama.

But Ishida has never been particularly delicate with this sort of thing, and now that Ichigo thinks about it, why did they let him become a doctor when he has the same horrible bedside manners that Kenpachi does?

“From your words, I suspect that in that other world, we didn’t.”

Ichigo feels his lips stretch into a wider smile, but it turns bitter halfway through, and it is quite clear what the answer is.

“You kept saying that you were, but I had eyes and apparently, a brain that wasn’t entirely under the crystal’s spell. You became a doctor.”

Immediately, Ishida’s nose scrunches up, his distaste obvious and Ichigo chuckles.

“I know, right? _And_ you took over your father’s hospital.”

“Which is my worst nightmare.” Ishida grumbles with a huff. “Thank you for making that version of me live in misery, Kurosaki.”

Ichigo is powerless to accept or deny that accusation, mainly because he’s got no idea if he really made them do those things and take those kinds of decisions or not. It is still a blurry line and he is more than happy to let it stay that way.

“Uryuu-kun!” Orihime admonishes, though half-heartedly.

“You two weren’t faring any better.” Ichigo decides to drop all the facts, lest no one here sleeps well tonight because they couldn’t find out everything. “Orihime, you were practically unemployed, and Chad was a professional fighter.”

Orihime takes it better than Chad. His friend looks maybe the most distressed Ichigo’s seen him in a very long time.

“That’s kind of morbid.” Rukia comments to herself but Ichigo still hears.

He turns to her then and asks. “Do you want to know?”

She pretends to think about it then nods.

“I know I won’t like it, but I am still curious.”

Ichigo sighs and licks his dry lips.

“You were the thirteenth division captain.”

Rukia’s mouth clamps shut tightly and Ichigo spots the sheen of tears in her eyes and the wet eyelashes tangled at the corners of her eyes.

“What about me?” Renji smirks at him and Ichigo deadpans.

“Still a lieutenant.”

“What!”

Ikkaku laughs and the atmosphere thins a little from the serious veil that hung over their heads. It is suffocating, but at the same time, airing the words out in the open is liberating and Ichigo would rather keep that energy up for as long as he can.

“Hey, what about us, Ichigo?” Keigo points to himself and the young man braces himself for Tatsuki’s well-deserved fists. “What were we up to inside that crystal?”

“And me!” Kon jumps on Keigo’s head, constructing quite a funny sight.

Tatsuki swats at the plushie and scoffs at Keigo.

“Do you two _really_ want to know?”

It is a rhetorical question, but Keigo still answers it with a whine.

“Yes!”

Kon nods fervently as well.

Ichigo rubs the back of his neck, feeling his ears grow hot again.

“Believe it or not, I’ve got no idea.”

Several jaws hang open in shock and dismay and he hastens to explain.

“Whenever I tried to figure out what kind of jobs you guys had, someone always laughed off my questions or the moment was interrupted. But you were in Karakura, that’s for sure.”

Tatsuki makes a face that illustrates quite clearly her opinion on that. Mizuiro shrugs, obviously happy that there wasn’t something worse while Keigo pouts, tears streaming comically from his eyes by the easy dismissal.

“And as for Kon,” the toy perks up at the sound of his name, “sorry, but I haven’t seen you in ten years.”

“What does that mean?! Where the hell could I have gone to?!”

With each word, Kon hits the top of Keigo’s head, making the young man wince more and more with each violent application.

Ichigo shrugs, apparently at a loss of words and ideas.

“Ichigo, I know you’re not entirely comfortable talking about it.” Hirako shifts in his seat to face him and Ichigo gulps. “But if you don’t mind me asking, when exactly was it that you started figuring it out? That something’s wrong, I mean.”

Again, several people lean forward, intent on listening to his answer.

Ichigo’s hand leaves his neck and extends to grab for his cup. He stops though and unconsciously, he starts to worry at the rim with his index finger, gaze moving from person to person. Soon, it stops on Hanatarou and the boy offers him an encouraging smile that, admittedly, helps Ichigo makes up his mind.

“I’m not actually sure, to be honest. I started getting some unexplainable feelings here and there, but I mostly couldn’t remember them for long enough to make a difference.”

 _Mostly when I was sleeping but not really, which is less than helpful,_ he wants to say, but the words won’t come out, so Ichigo doesn’t push himself. Someday, hopefully, they will.

“I think the closest event to the point when everything started to go down the drain was when Rukia and Renji dropped by for a visit at the clinic.”

The two people in question blink, but the room remains deathly silent, no one daring to ruin Ichigo’s zone. Though the young man is too lost inside his own head to hear them anyway.

“I didn’t see them in ten years if you can believe that. They had a lot of duties to attend to, at least that’s what they said. Everyone was gathered in the living room to watch Chad’s match – WBO World Heavyweight title match. It was around midday, I think, because Yuzu and Karin just finished their rounds in the clinic and closed it up for the weekend. Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro were already there with the popcorn and the drinks. Orihime too and, uh, Ishida had rounds at the hospital so he couldn’t come.” Ichigo lifts his eyes to the ceiling and it feels nice to let his head fall back. It’s suddenly too heavy on his shoulders.

“That was the day that things started to feel wrong, even when I was awake. Rukia had the strangest behavior and everyone kept dodging my questions. And soon after, I found that trace of Yhwach’s reiatsu in Kazui’s room.”

He lets the silence stretch, mostly because there is nothing left to say. It feels like he’s said too much anyway.

“Did he win?” Keigo’s whisper carries through the room and Ichigo blinks because he doesn’t understand the question. “Did Chad win?” His friend clarifies but soon shrinks back at the violent glare Tatsuki throws him.

Chad’s shoulders are tense, Ichigo observes half-heartedly, but when he pushes his brain for the answer, he finds basically nothing. That same nothingness, the one that he’s come to know particularly well, yawns its ugly mouth open, ready to swallow him up whole once again.

Unaware, a hand flies to his head, though it grips at nothing but hair because his treacherous thoughts are intangible. Ichigo grits his teeth, wishing for the answer, but getting nothing in return – nothing but that same feeling that _he should know the answer_.

“Ichigo, _Ichigo_!” Rukia is shaking his shoulder. Her brows are furrowed and she looks worried.

When he turns to look at her, the hand on his shoulder presses into his shirt, as if she wants it to pass through the material and touch his skin.

“Are you alright?”

Alright is far from how he’s feeling right now.

“See what you did, you idiot!” Tatsuki hisses lowly, harshly, but Ichigo doesn’t want his friend to get scolded just because he’s got memory problems on top of every other shitty mental illness there is.

“I’m fine, Tatsuki.” Then his expression turns apologetic when he looks at Keigo’s sweaty face. “Sorry, Keigo, but I have no idea. Something tells me that he did, but I have no memory of seeing it happen.”

“How’s that work?” Shinji raises an eyebrow. “Weren’t you supposed to be looking at the TV with everyone else?”

Ichigo scowls. “By all means, Hirako, tell me when you find out because I’m dying to know too.”

This takes Shinji off his back, but Byakuya takes his place.

“In the world that the Outsukama constructed for you, who was the Soul King?”

Ichigo tries to think back and winces. “Yhwach, probably?”

“Probably?” Toshiro repeats dubiously.

“Maybe those were the duties that Kuchiki-chan and Renji were attending to?” Rangiku tries to make sense of the information Ichigo dealt them, but it is a rather hard task when the man himself is at a loss.

Her captain turns an incredulous look in her direction. “For _ten_ years?”

“So Rukia told you about being made captain, but she didn’t tell you about who they made the Soul King?” Byakuya tries again, as if there is a possibility that Ichigo will suddenly have the answer if he poses the question in another way.

Again, Ichigo stops short. “No, Rukia didn’t tell me that she was made captain.”

Renji’s fist hits the table and makes some of the dishes clatter.

“Then how the hell did you know that she was captain?!”

Ichigo keeps his eyes on the surface of the table, mind reeling in a spiral without end.

“I’ve got absolutely no idea.” He confesses.

In the issuing silence, he feels Aizen watching him, gaze calculating and mind probably making contingency plans and scheming something or the other, but Ichigo is too wired to care about it.

“Let’s go with something simpler.” Karin speaks out, as calm as she can be in the face of her older brother slowly losing his mind. “I didn’t hear anything about goat face over here.”

Isshin’s mouth pops open at the unflattering nickname, even as both of his nephews snicker.

“What was he up to?”

For the third time in a row, Ichigo has no answer to offer. It’s like his insides are on fire and this fog of ignorance fucking _burns._

“I haven’t seen dad since the war either.”

“ _Pfff_ , welcome to the club, old man!” Kon waves a hand, trying to bring down the tension a little bit.

Despite the grim light in his expression, Isshin throws the plushie a strained smile. 

Yuzu gasps, but Karin frowns.

“What? He died?”

The knowledge that their father is pretty powerful remains unsaid. It is quite unbelievable to the girls that Isshin could get killed when he was a captain to begin with.

“No, I just-“ Ichigo licks his lips again. “I just didn’t see him after, and I have no idea where he was or what he was doing. My memories from the end of the war are hardly clear – everything is goddamn blurry and confusing. I can’t say anything that happened back then for sure. I kept wondering about dad too actually, but whenever I asked any of you guys, the answer was always ‘oh, you know where he is’ or ‘what, is your memory going bad with age’, never a straight answer. The clearest memory I have is from Kazui’s fifth birthday party.”

“Wait a second,” Kenpachi interrupts, baffled as one can be, “you’re saying that Kazui is the name of his _kid_?”

Ikkaku raises his hands in surrender.

“Our captain just didn’t know, okay?”

Yumichika touches his forehead, obviously tired.

“No one knew until Isshin-taichou opened his mouth.” Toshiro snitches, much to his former captain’s despair.

Ichigo cannot even find it in himself to care anymore.

“Zangetsu had a theory that I haven’t actually lived those memories for me to have them. Which means that I started to really live through everything around year fifth?”

The weight of the declaration brings the whole table to a standstill and he so hates it when the bad mood is his fault.

“Anyways,” he fakes a chuckle, “I think that’s enough storytime for tonight. You guys should eat those cakes before Ikkaku finishes them off by himself.”

There goes another argument on the Soul Reaper’s side, but at least things return to a semblance of normal. Conversation starts up again, strained, though after enough time passes, everyone manages to relax again.

Ichigo can see that he is no fun at parties anymore, not with his depressing stories and not with his load of baggage that he keeps lugging around and hitting his most precious people with, however unknowingly. They wanted to know, but it’s a double-edged blade that keeps on digging into fresh wounds.

Take Rukia for example, and here Ichigo hopes that he is seeing things again. She’s barely been acting like herself ever since they returned to the Gensei, and now she won’t even look at him after he dropped the bomb with the captaincy.

Absently, he asks himself if it is a thing she wanted – to become a captain – and if he successfully destroyed that dream – _another dream_ – once again, just by being who he is.

He might never know, but then again, Ichigo prefers to know stuff, especially when it comes to Rukia and _especially_ when it is his fault.

He will ask tonight – yes – he will definitely ask tonight.

* * *

After dinner, Rukia takes the Soul Reapers to the side. They asked her to tell them everything she learned during her stay in the royal dimension and she plans to make good on that promise.

The sooner, the better.

She has too many other things to take care of and this obstacle needs to be pushed to the side as soon as possible.

What ‘takes to the side’ ends up meaning is rather amusing, in retrospect, because the Kurosaki household is so incredibly small with so many people inside of it. They end up in one of the clinic’s examination rooms, though it still ends up being filled to the brim with warriors.

The vice-captains and seated officers present received permission to join their captains. Special consent has been given to Uryuu and Aizen, mostly because they wouldn’t hear the end of it from the latter and besides, Rukia thought they should throw the madman a bone for his service in their operation. Isshin is the last one to enter the room, just after Uryuu and Yoruichi, closing the door tightly behind him.

They left the others to keep Ichigo occupied long enough not to start looking for them.

“Where is Kurotsuchi?” Toshiro asks curiously and Yoruichi scowls.

“Caught up in an experiment.” The woman’s voice drips with disgust. “I will inform him of everything, don’t worry.”

Rukia nods and turns to the room at large.

“I will ask again, just to be sure that everyone understands that it really is _that_ bad.” She watches each and every one of them, wondering if she made the right decision.

Ikkaku swallows audibly and Yumichika sighs at his friend’s stupid reaction. Hanatarou looks about as comfortable sitting next to the eleventh division as he would be in a tank full of sharks, though he makes an effort to fidget less visibly.

Rangiku shifts in her seat, but the expression on her face is grim and serious. Renji keeps staring at her and it makes Rukia nervous, but she pushes that feeling aside. Yoruichi nods with a wink, seemingly the most relaxed out of them. Hirako’s lips are pressed tightly, but his eyes tell her that his decision has been made.

Nii-sama nods at her, both an agreement and an encouragement. Kenpachi snorts and reclines back in his seat.

“I could care less, but let’s hear it. Might make a good bedtime story.”

Rukia meets Uryuu’s eyes last and the Quincy’s expression is understandably tense, yet she can detect the slivers of determination behind his gaze. Her friend is ready to listen and do what he must.

He might not actively be going against the Soul Society, but Rukia harbors no doubt that he will do his best to aid in whatever insurgent movement any of the people gathered inside this room might want to pull.

If Rukia didn’t know any better, she’d say that Uryuu simply enjoys the anarchy that comes with toppling down a government.

She takes a long minute to put some semblance of chronological order to a story filled with facts that she’s come to know by heart. It is a cold comfort when the details bring nothing but violent distaste instead of the usual vile need to puke her guts out at the simple thought that she was part of that very hierarchy not so very long ago.

With a long inhale, Rukia opens her mouth and tells the assembled Shinigami everything she learned as captain of the royal guard.

It takes her the better part of an hour, but the words spill through her lips much more easily than she’d have thought. Rukia doesn’t dare make long pauses in fear that someone will speak up and destroy her momentum, but they never do it anyway.

She follows in real-time as each expression starts falling, as each face loses a little bit of color. Rukia tracks every anxious shift, every nervous twitch of the eye, of the fingers, the countless tapping of feet on the floor. There are at least three occasions when someone’s lips twitch or purse, five times she catches a muscle in someone’s face spasm, uncontrollably, unconsciously.

These are all human tells, and they help steady her in the knowledge that she is among friends here, and that no matter how awful the sentence that comes out of her mouth will be, they will face it together.

Rukia is not alone in holding up this knowledge anymore – it is a strange, warm kind of feeling that folds around her along with this thought. And even if she decides to retreat from any kind of counteraction they might plan, at least she can rest assured that someone else is aware of everything that she knows, and they are trying to do something about it.

All those long, hard months, she’s been debating whether it is worth the effort and the emotional grief to tell her Nii-sama and the other captains participating in the plan about the real story of the Seiretei.

Now, she can only hope that they will make the right decisions. She can only pray that this path is also the one with the least bloodshed.

Because Rukia is so, _so_ tired of being at the forefront of the spiritual world’s messes. The only thing she wants is some peace and quiet and she finally got it, here in the Gensei with Ichigo. She grabbed it with both hands, and she’s damn sure that she will never let go. But this also means protecting Ichigo, especially now when he’s still so vulnerable.

Rukia has no time or mental capacity to deal with the Soul Society anymore. So she passes on her knowledge, a sort of blessing that is more of a curse and counts on her brother’s levelheadedness to get all of them through the maelstrom approaching on the horizon.

Forty-three minutes after the door to the room closed, Rukia stops speaking, feeling strangely hollow on the inside. But it’s a good kind of emptiness, though one that comes with a heavy price to pay.

They are all silent, and most of them look close to violence.

Isshin’s mouth has basically disappeared from his face and Rukia’s never seen him so _expressionless_ before. Uryuu’s gaze rests on the floor and he’s hunched over in his chair, hands loosely clasped together, unmoving, frozen.

Much like Toshiro, though the boy’s skin is decidedly almost as pale as his hair. His eyes are so wide that they are almost round and Rukia finally has the chance to figure out their real color. It is a pale blue that reminds her of ice spears and the crystal blue skies of winter.

“That’s…”

Words fail Ikkaku. The lieutenant looks at the polished floor as if it might hold all the answers he needs.

Surprisingly, Yumichika is better capable to digest the information and he rests a hand on Ikkaku’s shoulder in quiet camaraderie, though Rukia catches the fine trembling of his fingers.

Their captain, on the other hand, simply stands up and paces a few lengths of the room, seemingly to release some of the restless energy that has been accumulating inside of him with all this inaction. She is half-afraid that he will attack someone just for that same reason.

“Just as I expected. Nothing more and nothing less.” Aizen harrumphs from his perch on the edge of the examination bed, especially pleased.

Incredibly calm, insufferably smug. The perfect combination for a legitimate reason to be attacked by a sharp sword.

Rangiku, bless her heart, throws the madman a scathing glare that is successful in wiping the edge off Aizen’s face and leaves the others a little more room to breathe.

Rukia blinks.

“Rangiku-san, you look unsurprised. Yoruichi-san, too.” The observation falls off her lips, unfiltered.

Rangiku turns her head and offers a placid smile even as she rubs soothing circles up and down her captain’s back.

“Trust me, Rukia-chan, I’ve been a lieutenant for long enough now to pick up some discrepancies in the laws and regulations of the Seiretei.”

And that’s about right, isn’t it? Rukia vaguely remembers Isshin telling her that Rangiku was also the lieutenant when _he_ took over the tenth division. 

“I’ve seen many things first-hand, and I also,” she bites her lip, warring with her words before she decides on, “Gin told me some things. So I expected many of the points you brought up, just not to that degree.”

Wisely, Aizen keeps his mouth sealed shut and he’s all better for it, since any mention of Gin Ichimaru from his side would result in Rangiku going in for the kill. And Rukia is unsure if anyone in this room would try to stop her.

Yoruichi, on the other hand, shrugs.

“Kisuke figured most of these things out. He told me some, and the rest I found out when I looked through his old notes after the war. It wasn’t all that you said, but a good chunk of it he got right.”

“This is a fucking mess.” Hirako rubs the back of his head, successfully causing his hair to fall into disarray. There is a deep scowl on his face and the man curses between his teeth. “ _Shit_.”

“Are you really that surprised?” Uryuu asks dryly, even though Hanatarou is trembling like a leaf in a hurricane not far away from him.

“Well sorry for hoping that the mess up there was at least a little salvageable!” Renji bares his teeth at the Quincy, though he deflates a second later and apologizes quietly.

“I understand your point of view.” Uryuu pushes up his glasses with one finger. “Or, at least, I’m trying to. But I’ve seen enough of the Seiretei to make some assumptions of my own. Kuchiki-san’s words only served to underline the most arduous problems I’ve glimpsed, is all.”

Finally, Rukia turns to Byakuya, but his face is set into stone and he is as still as a rock. She wonders if he’s even breathing, but then his eyes lift to meet hers and her fists clench at the utter conflict she spots behind her brother’s eyes.

Never has she seen him so badly discombobulated, not even on the night when he came to the Gensei to arrest her. It is a testament to his character that he remains so unaffected on the outside, but Rukia wonders how long he can keep that act up.

“W-W-What are we going to do?” Hanatarou seems to have trouble getting out the words he needs to say.

There is such fear behind his gaze that Rukia regrets allowing him to assist, even though the boy is the one who had insisted in the first place.

“Right now, nothing.” Hirako is the one who answers. He stands up with a deep sigh. “I still need time to digest this and we’ve gotta see to our return.”

Toshiro scoffs, and the sound is overly loud inside the stuffy room.

“After all this and you still want to go back?”

The older man turns to him, one eyebrow raised almost mockingly.

“You having second thoughts, captain Hitsugaya?”

And though the question is mildly rhetoric, Toshiro still answers and Rukia sees his jaw clench.

“You bet I do.”

Hirako smiles. “Good. Maybe you will take a better decision than we did. So don’t squander that chance, Hitsugaya-kun!”

Rukia steps back as the captains slowly filter out of the room.

Kenpachi mutters to Hirako, something along the lines of a dimension-wide massacre, but Rukia resolutely refuses to know anything more about that.

She shoots a small smile in Hanatarou’s direction and grips his hand tightly, a sign that he is not alone and an encouragement, all rolled into the little gesture. It seems to help somewhat, and Rukia is glad for that.

Isshin winks weakly on his way out and Uryuu murmurs that he will be taking his leave since he promised to walk Orihime home. Yoruichi pats her on the head shortly and vanishes under the low artificial light coming from the ceiling.

Toshiro still looks unsteady, but so does Ikkaku. Both Yumichika and Rangiku have to half-drag their respective charges out of the room. Renji gives her a half-hug on his way through the door, and Rukia is surprised enough by the gesture to not have time to return it, though it doesn’t seem to matter to Renji.

Finally, Nii-sama approaches her, mouth set in a grim line and expression clouded with enough emotions to make her wonder if he will be alright.

“You did well, Rukia.” His hand is warm on her shoulder and Rukia looks up to him, happy and sad at the same time. “Thank you for entrusting this truth to us.”

She bites her lip hard enough to make herself wince.

“I’m sorry to place such pressure on you.”

“Nonsense.” His gaze finally clears enough for Rukia to spot the warmth beneath the sweltering shock. “I’m proud of you for that, and for choosing to leave the Gotei behind. I will admit that I was disappointed at first, but now…”

He trails off as his eyes narrow. Rukia reaches up to pat his hand, hoping to derail the tumbling thoughts that are most certainly filling his mind.

She smiles when he looks back at her and his grip tightens minutely.

“You did well, and you can rest assured now that this truth is in our hands. We will do everything in our power to change things.”

“I truly wish that to be true, but you have to be careful, Nii-sama! They-”

“Remain in the World of the Living for as long as you possibly can.” Rukia’s mouth snaps shut and her eyes widen. This feels too much like a resolute goodbye and she hates it, dreads it, curses it to hell and back. “Take care of yourself and of Kurosaki Ichigo. They cannot find you.”

“Nii-sama-“

“I will not contact you to return until I know that things have been properly resolved.”

That might as well be in another thousand years. Rukia steps away from him to make a point.

“I will do as you say if you promise not to sign up for an incredibly stupid plan. You must be exceedingly careful when going against these bastards-!“

“I know, Rukia.”

“And who knows, Ichigo and I might join your fight before long!”

“I’d rather you not, but spirit knows that I cannot dissuade you from it.” It’s as close to exasperation as Byakuya ever gets. “And if I remember correctly, I just signed up not so long ago for a plan also dubbed ‘incredibly stupid’.”

Rukia pouts at the teasing. Incredible – the first time her brother displays such a wide range of emotions, varied enough to properly disorient her, _and_ he decides to also tease her while at it.

“But I will take your advice into consideration. What I wanted to say is,”

He looks at her and Rukia finally figures why Yuzu agreed to place herself in the same room as public enemy number one, Aizen Sousuke, and why Karin trained like a madwoman, twenty hours a day for half a year. Familial love – she knew about it, but she’s never quite explicitly experienced it in full until this moment.

“This is your chance to enjoy a normal, carefree life and it is the most I wanted for you. Please don’t throw this away on another baseless war. I truly hope not, but it might as well still be there when it is time for you to come home.”

Rukia’s face splits into a wide smile and, in the heat of the moment, she launches forward and hugs her brother tightly, knowing that it is probably the first and last time in a very long while.

Nii-sama takes it better than she expected and, when she steps back, his lips are curled up, mimicking a smile that does not quite reach his worried gaze.

“We are going to be fine, I promise.”

Byakuya nods graciously and steps into the hallway outside, waiting for her to follow.

Rukia exhales, knowing that she has another long conversation to look forward to, and the confusing feelings that keep warring inside her mind once more rear their heads up.

Squaring her shoulders, she exits, closing the door to the consultation room behind her with a dull thud.

* * *

After dinner – and after Rukia and the other soul reapers retreat to exchange secrets, or whatever – Ichigo keeps himself occupied by his friends’ energetic presences for the first twenty minutes. His mind keeps wandering, but he absolutely refuses to pick at the reason why he was not invited, mostly because there is no reason to.

Rukia will tell him if the matter necessitates his input, but if not, he will let the Gotei 13 members deal with their domestic problems on their own for the foreseeable future.

His friends are content to keep chatting and helping Yuzu and Karin with the clean-up, but Ichigo just cannot bring himself to be in the same mood. So he retreats to his room, excusing himself because he is very tired, which he _really_ is, but he resolutely refuses to fall asleep once up in his bedroom.

He keeps the light off and lies on his bed, but his eyes remain open with the million different thoughts that are currently going through his head. They are substantial in number and successfully keep him occupied enough that he doesn’t fall asleep right away.

The wait feels incredibly long and Ichigo has half a mind to leave his room and try to find Rukia, but he doesn’t, mostly because he doesn’t have any excuse to barge in there.

Not this time.

He dozes off at some point, though his muddled mind registers the sounds in the living room growing in volume. People are talking downstairs and then the front door opens and closes repeatedly until only silence remains behind.

Ichigo blinks the fuzzy dots away from his vision when the door to his room cracks open and admits a sliver of light into the dark space.

He’d recognize those light footsteps anywhere, and this thought grants him enough power to push himself up on the bed.

Rukia turns to him, surprised, like a deer caught in the headlights.

“I was just getting a change of clothes.” She whispers and points to the closet because, even if she’s been granted the guest bed, she still has the habit to deposit her things inside his closet.

Ichigo grunts and navigates in the near darkness to close the door.

“Ichigo,” Rukia sounds worried and confused, “what are you doing?”

“We need to talk.” Ichigo says resolutely, stifling a yawn.

Rukia’s eyes follow him as he returns to his seat on the bed. She purses her lips.

“You’re tired and it’s late.” As if these are reasons enough. “We can talk in the morning-“

“I’d rather talk now, Rukia.” He hopes that his tone conveys his seriousness.

She sighs and Ichigo feels the mattress dip when she sits down next to him. He squints through the penetrating darkness, thinking that he should have turned on his lamp, at least.

“Alright.” She pauses, seemingly gathering her thoughts. “What is it that you want to talk about?”

“Let’s start with why you’ve been acting so strangely.”

Rukia snorts. “I haven’t been-“

Ichigo scowls. “Of course you have – so out of character! You haven’t hit me in weeks!”

This brings a chuckle out of her.

“Oh, you want me to hit you then? I didn’t know that it was something you enjoyed.”

The sleazy tone is rather nostalgic, but it doesn’t deter him.

“Stop deflecting, Rukia.”

This brings all her good humor to a stop. He can feel her eyes on him when she asks.

“What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know – the truth? I swear that sometimes it feels like I’m back in the Outsukama with how strange everyone is acting, especially you.”

There is a long stretch of time during which Rukia remains silent. Ichigo taps his fingers on his thigh, anxious that he brought up the wrong subject. He has a niggling feeling that everyone thinks that speaking about the Outsukama is a taboo subject with him, but in reality, Ichigo avoids it because he is not yet ready to disclose everything that he lived through inside of it.

“Do you,” she hesitates, “do you wish to be back in that world?”

He frowns. “What? Of course not! What brought that about?”

Rukia shifts in her seat to face him. There is no light coming from the clouded sky outside, but somehow, he is able to make out her eyes.

“You are different, but that is to be expected – you’ve lived ten whole years inside that crystal, even if they weren’t real. The problem is that I didn’t expect that, but it is _my_ problem. I just-I need time to adjust, that’s all Ichigo. I’m sorry if I seemed to be doing that deliberately.”

Ichigo takes a minute to digest her words before he blurts out.

“Bullshit.”

Rukia’s brows furrow. He keeps his expression straightforward.

“I don’t believe you. You were never this skittish around me before-“

“What do you want me to do?!” Her hiss echoes inside the small room. “You were married and had a wife and a child in there! What do you expect me to do or say, Ichigo? Tell me, because I have no idea how to deal with this!”

The cover of clouds breaks for just a moment, letting the moon’s rays cross towards the earth. Rukia’s eyes flash violet in the silver light, but maybe that’s only in his imagination.

Ichigo doesn’t think the next part through, but that’s nothing new. What is new is how soft her skin feels when he touches her cheek. Rukia’s breath hitches, and he keeps his eyes on hers.

“That situation was incredibly complicated already.” He admits to her in a small tone.

“Ichigo?”

“There were too many things that happened at the end of the war,” his lips press together tightly with the only fake memories that were clearer than the others. Now he understands why, “and we had too many decisions to make. In the end, it was all because of what Yhwach said to us after he absorbed my powers.”

_“For I shall find the future, that one moment in time where each of you feels the greatest amount of joy and happiness – and it is there that I shall slaughter you.”_

“ _So from this point forward_ ,” Rukia recites the sentences that have imprinted themselves into her mind, the ones that she refused to let free and capture her soul, “ _every time you indulge in your happiness, you shall think of my words. And at that moment, when you do, you will remember my looming shadow, the terror of death, you will tremble in fear of your promised death. Forever._ ” She looks up at him as realization dawns. “You mean that…”

The words won’t come out, no matter how much she wills them to.

Ichigo’s thumb gently rubs at the corner of her eye, wiping away the tears that managed to escape. He offers a sad little smile that speaks volumes and breaks her heart all over again.

“We realized that it’s better to be safe than sorry. No one could afford to fight another war like that ever again.”

Rukia stifles a sob. “But you sacrificed everything!”

His hand falls away and the coldness that replaces it makes her shiver. She can see him looking out of the window, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“I’ve been sacrificing a lot of things over the years. That small thing was nothing.”

His words are so ridiculous that Rukia’s first instinct is to slap his arm viciously.

“That’s your future you’re talking of so flippantly, you idiot!”

Her scolding awards her nothing but a rasping chuckle and he looks back at her, melancholic.

 _“Our_ future, you mean.”

This puts a stop to her ire, and she leans back to get a better look at him. The moon hasn’t quite disappeared behind the clouds yet, so there is a little light available to make his features more distinguishable.

He looks resigned and he must be, after ten years. And yet she’s glimpsed enough of his feelings to realize that he never quite forgot them, even after such a long time.

“I hope you realize how stupid that was.”

Ichigo blinks in surprise, turning back to her. Rukia huffs and crosses her arms over her chest.

“Whatever the hell Yhwach said or didn’t say, I don’t care for it! I hardly believe in his bluffs and I will not let them dictate who I love and how I live my life.”

Expectedly, the idiot tries to argue with her.

_Her!_

“But what if he wasn’t bluffing-“

“Then let him come! I can hardly care. If you don’t wish to fight, then I will for both of us!”

In the heat of the moment, she lifts herself to her knees and ambles closer to him. This way, they are the same height and Rukia can glare into his eyes all she wants, hoping that her point will be understood.

“I refuse to keep sacrificing my happiness in this way, Ichigo. When I look to the past, I see how I stupidly did so countless times. This time too. I thought it was over, I _knew_ it was over.” She munches on her lower lip, hands clenching into fists at her side. “I refused to acknowledge it and I was damned right. This time, I will be the selfish one and if that brings back Yhwach, then so be it!”

Once her speech is over, Rukia tilts her chin, waiting for his answer, but it is slow to come. She’s close to applying a well-aimed slap when Ichigo breathes out a small laugh. His warm breath fans on her face, so close he leans forward in the next moment.

“You seem to have made up your mind. I doubt I can make you see sense after that little pep talk.”

Despite her sweaty palms, Rukia smirks.

“Ha, I rather want to see you try.” She frowns then as a thought occurs to her. “But, Ichigo, if you decide that-“

He snorts and completely destroys the moment.

“Are you serious? First, you keep saying how you are going to be selfish and now you’re telling me that you’re leaving the decision in my hands?”

Rukia frowns. “Well of course I cannot force you to-“

“Since when?” Ichigo wonders loudly, incredulously. “Now I’m really wondering if you’re Rukia.”

“Idiot!” She hisses through her teeth. “If you won’t stop-“

The rest of her sentence fades away over their joined lips. Ichigo seems hardly concerned by her inner conflict and he must have forgone his own since he is currently kissing her softly.

Rukia lets herself melt into the feeling of it, hands unfurling at her sides when he reaches out to thread their fingers together.

It ends quicker than she’d have liked, but he rests his forehead against hers and Rukia’s eyes flutter closed, comforted beyond belief at the sheer presence of him all around her.

“Stop what?” He teases and on some other day, Rukia would have torn him a new one.

Today, she only huffs and reaches out to card a hand through his hair.

“Stop being a fool.” She replies, even though there was no need to.

Rukia just needed to get her point across, is all.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can we say a hallelujah for the ichiruki content that is not angsty and sad? well, not _all_ of it, okay??  
> i tried my best


	21. Chapter 21

* * *

“It will take some time, though. Are you sure you’re up for it?” Ichigo’s eyes follow her as she bustles around the room.

They practically fell asleep on top of each other last night, so tired they both were, and they didn’t even notice until Isshin busted through the door in all his glory, tripped and got a mouthful of carpet.

After which he started yelling that he is having a stroke, but that was his father’s personal problem and Ichigo hardly had any qualms with kicking the shit out of the old man and throwing him out of his room.

In Karakura town, news spread like wildfire, but in a small house in suburban Karakura? Isshin might as well have known long before he walked in on them.

“Obviously, you dolt! I didn’t risk my life and our friends’ lives just to leave you in the dust now, you know?” Rukia doesn’t even turn to him as she answers.

Ichigo makes a face behind her back.

“You need to lay off the insults, I’m still a recuperating victim here.”

This time she turns to him, though the sleazy grin over her lips makes him kind of regret saying that.

“Oh, what is this I’m hearing? First you bitch about me being nice to you and now you can’t take the heat?”

As if pre-programmed, Ichigo’s irritation reaches new peaks.

“That’s not-!”

“Alright!” Renji claps his hands from the threshold and they both turn to him because he snuck up on them. “I suggest you leave the lover’s spat until the rest of us innocent people have left.”

Rukia sticks her tongue out at her childhood friend, but Ichigo has no compunction in throwing him a glare. Renji takes it like a champ, grin never wavering from his face.

“We are all ready to head to Urahara’s.”

Rukia nods and something inside of her seems to shrink and sadden now that the moment has arrived. She hates to see her brother and her friend return to that treacherous place, but Rukia trusts them to be able to handle themselves and anything that the upper echelons throw their way.

There’s more of them now – they aren’t alone like she was. They can do better, do _more_ and hopefully change the afterlife for the better, even if only a little bit.

She closes the door to the closet with a sigh and turns to Ichigo, who is still on his bed, casually reclining against the window. Rukia’s hands land on her hips.

“Are you ready, Ichigo?”

He quirks an eyebrow in her direction, as if the answer should be obvious.

“Yeah, I am.”

They leave the house, a big group that is too colorful and much too loud to be completely unnoticeable. Thankfully, squad eleven is already at the shop with Hirako and Hanatarou, so the level of violence is marginally lower.

Ichigo sees Karin walk alongside Toshiro. The expression on the captain’s face and the dark circles under his eyes bring up some questions, but he has no idea how to pose them, so he nudges Rukia for help.

The former lieutenant is hesitant in butting into Toshiro’s business, but he was incredibly shaken last night. She supposes that there is a time and place to pose such a sensitive inquiry, but today they do not have that luxury anymore.

“How are you holding up, Hitsugaya-san?” It’s strange to call him that, but it is also liberating.

Toshiro’s face twists and Karin visibly tenses.

“As expected.” His reply leaves much to be desired in terms of an actual explanation, but then his shoulders droop and he sighs, tired, resolved and, unavoidably, _resigned_.

Byakuya glances at the shorter captain, but his question comes only when he’s moved his gaze to the empty street ahead of them.

“What have you decided, captain Hitsugaya?”

Ichigo looks from one Shinigami to the other curiously. He sees Karin sport an incredibly uncharacteristic expression of worry over the boy on her face and, for a short second, Ichigo is angry at Toshiro.

But the feeling passes quickly when the details filter in to replace the instinctual emotion, and he understands most of all what that look means and how pointless it would be to pretend otherwise. At the crux of it, Ichigo is just sad that his sister has to go through this rollercoaster of emotions, but he’s known Toshiro for long enough to be certain that the boy will make his decision after a lot of thought given on the matter.

“For the moment, I will join you, but not for long I think.”

Ichigo sees Rangiku smile in approval and he wonders what she will do once another captain is gone, captured by yet another Kurosaki family member. The poor woman just can’t catch a break.

“Oh.” Renji is extraordinarily eloquent in his reaction. “But wait – the Gotei doesn’t allow-“

“Retirement?” Toshiro’s lips twitch and Ichigo stifles a snort. “I know they don’t, but I think I can manage a sneaky escape.”

Even Byakuya’s mouth curves upwards at his words.

“That’s good, captain! I’m glad for you!” Rangiku brings her hands together, looking sincerely delighted. “I will be sure to visit as much as possible.”

“Knock yourself out, Matsumoto.” The boy mumbles under his breath.

“What about you, Rangiku-san? Are you coming back, too?”

But Orihime pouts, so the answer is obvious.

“I tried to convince Rangiku-chan, but she said no.”

The older woman reaches out to pat the girl on the head, a sweet smile on her lips.

“And you are incredibly kind, Orihime, but it’s my duty to go back and try to help remedy things. At the very least, these men are in _desperate_ need of my help.” She smirks teasingly. “Who knows? Maybe they will finally make me captain!”

The lieutenant throws her head back and laughs, much to the exasperation of Toshiro and most of everyone else. 

Still currently captain of the tenth division, Toshiro pinches the bridge of his nose, though he doesn’t seem averse to the idea.

“I’m sorry for my poor squad but they will manage, I’m sure.”

Karin winks, both in amusement, but also in encouragement, and long is the day when stoic Toshiro needs a pick me up, but it has come at last. Said boy sighs again, as if it pains him to even say the next words.

“Most of all, I need to try and convince Hinamori to come back with me before I leave for good.”

This time Renji doesn’t even use words. The unintelligible sound of surprise he releases is swiftly cut off by Rukia’s elbow digging into his ribs.

“So you are even planning to leave me without a vice-captain, Histugaya-kun?”

Shinji’s voice comes from nearby and Ichigo turns to find the man sitting on a bench with Hiyori at his side. The girl wears a sweltering expression that turns sickly dangerous when she spots Ichigo.

He takes one step back when she all but bounds up in his face.

“I’m glad to see you alive, strawberry, but screw you for starting up shit again!”

A slipper passes by his face, a hair’s breadth away from impact. Ichigo gulps even as his friends grow alarmed.

Hiyori grins, all sharp teeth and attitude, and returns her slipper in its rightful place.

“That was just a greeting.”

Despite the near-death experience, Ichigo finds it in himself to roll his eyes.

“So I heard.”

“Oi, Hiyori! Don’t scare him too bad, or he’ll die of a heart attack or something.”

A vein pulses in Ichigo’s head at Hirako’s words, but his intricate reply is cut off by Yumichika arriving at the scene.

“The Senkaimon is ready.” The third seat blinks at the congregation before he shakes his head to get rid of the surplus of senseless information in front of his eyes. “And I suggest that we hurry up or captain Zaraki will leave without us.”

Byakuya expels a small sigh and they cross the last street and sidewalk that leads to Urahara’s shop. Kenpachi sits on the porch, a pulsing scowl on his face, while Ikkaku sweats bullets and tries to distract his captain from his usual bout of homicidal thoughts.

“Ichigo! Let’s fight!”

“As if! Did you happen to forget that I was stuck in a crystal for almost a year?!”

Kenpachi scoffs and the young man rubs the back of his neck in frustration.

“Yo!” Yoruichi sneaks up on Ichigo and successfully scares the shit out of him, much to everyone’s amusement.

The young man grimaces and sends a dark scowl in her direction. Hirako manages to stop snickering for long enough to say.

“Now he really looks like he’s having a heart attack!”

Ichigo endures their amusement and poor Hanatarou’s concern, understanding that this is one last moment of normalcy before they part ways. Soon enough, all laughter is placed aside, just as expected.

Every soul reaper looks at the blinding gate of the spirit world, faces cast in the grim light of resolution.

Rukia gathers Renji in a tight hug, but what brings her to tears are Byakuya’s parting words.

“I am envious of you, Rukia. Live this short human life to the best of your ability and know that Hisana and I are proud of you.”

Ichigo exchanges short goodbyes with the others, wishing them well and saying that he looks forward to seeing them soon. Renji offers him a tight handshake and an equally tight smile, a veiled threat more than anything, meaning to underline that he better keeps Rukia safe and happy.

“Make sure to come back soon, Toshiro.”

The captain raises an eyebrow at his whispering, but Karin is not very far away and Ichigo would rather avoid that particular conversation until much later.

“And don’t make her worry.”

This, at least, brings forth a nod from the captain.

Ichigo avoids Mayuri with all his might, but the scientist seems likewise unwilling to exchange, what he deems, empty words of farewell. So he stands exceedingly close to the Senkaimon, waiting for the congregation to finish with their overly emotional departure ritual.

When that time comes, Ichigo faces the assembled Shinigami once more. He searches for the correct words, but even the ones he offered to Nell and Grimmjow don’t seem quite enough this time.

So he bows deeply, out of respect and out of gratitude.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“Raise your head, Kurosaki Ichigo.” Byakuya meets his eyes when he looks up, and there’s something incongruously different about him, but in a good way.

 _Purpose,_ the young man thinks, _and something more._

“We’ll see you later, substitute Shinigami!” Hirako grins and salutes.

“I will save you a fight, Ichigo!” Kenpachi grins savagely before he turns on his heels.

Ikkaku gives him a thumb up and Yumichika bows his head shallowly. Hanatarou waves enthusiastically and follows Renji through the portal. Mayuri likewise leaves without a word, though his hands are clenched at his side and the young man figures that the man got the news.

Ichigo walks up to Rukia, still stuck in the same spot Byakuya and Renji left her. He takes her hand and grimaces at the cold limb he finds.

“They are going to be completely fine.” He declares with false bravado, but it seems to do the trick.

Rukia snorts, sniffles and lifts her free hand to shake off her tears. He squeezes her hand in silent support and watches as the Senkaimon’s light dims and disappears.

Uryuu turns to them then, mouth already open, but he jerks to a stop, looking beyond Ichigo’s shoulder.

The substitute Shinigami doesn’t even need to use his spiritual awareness to guess who just dropped by for a visit.

“Ah, they are gone.” Aizen crosses his arms over his chest as he casually leans on an upturned boulder. “I was hoping to give them my regards.”

“They didn’t miss much then.” Uryuu says quite savagely.

Ichigo’s head draws back, both in surprise and newfound respect.

“What are you even doing here?” The Quincy continues.

“Social call.” Aizen answers simply.

“Why is it that every time there is a ‘social call’,” Yoruichi uses her fingers to make air quotes, “you end up _here_?”

“Where else would I end up?” Aizen’s lips slowly crawl into a smirk. “This is the hotspot for the spiritual world, isn’t it? Though I did find out that there might be another one in London, Great Britain.”

And for Ichigo, this is the end of the discussion.

“I don’t even want to know! Ishida, remind me to never visit London please.”

The Quincy looks at the ex-Shinigami with something akin to distaste.

“Yeah, thanks for ruining that vacation spot, Aizen.”

Orihime giggles behind her hand and Rukia finally manages to crack a smile, and for that, Ichigo hates Aizen a little less.

“We should go. Remember that we promised Tatsuki to meet up in the city center.” Chad gently reminds them and Ichigo happily takes the exit offered.

Aizen watches the kids walk away and gives a cursory glance to the training grounds. He spots Tessai near the Senkaimon, completing the shutdown incantations.

“You’re up to something again, aren’t you?” Yoruichi is exceedingly suspicious at this early hour of the morning.

“Maybe, maybe not.” Aizen does not deny nor accept the accusation, simply because he is still trying to _decide_ whether he is or isn’t.

“This isn’t Hogyouku science, Aizen. It’s a simple yes or no question that you’d better damn answer.”

The dangerous woman is watching him like a hawk and he sighs, throwing a scattered glance in the gate’s direction. The simple gesture manages to tip Yoruichi off, much to Aizen’s surprise.

“You found out something, or you got an idea about what Rukia told us last night.”

The traitor tilts his head from side to side in consideration.

“I might have, and I might have one.” He admits. “But I still have to decide whether I wish to help or not.”

Yoruichi walks up to him then, gaze sharp and an ominous grin playing on her lips.

“Take your time then, Aizen- _bo._ ” Her tone is derisive enough for her words to be completely sarcastic. “I will still be making rounds to the Seiretei if you wish to send them a message. In the meantime, I will let you return to your _exciting_ human life.”

She must know that this was the nerve to hit. Aizen shoots her a glare and takes his leave, all along thinking how to make the woman’s life more inconvenient than he currently does.

She does have a point, though, he admits to himself at some point. This brings him to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

Aizen looks up to the infinite blue sky and ponders on the advantages and disadvantages of screwing with the soul reapers again.

He will get to a conclusion at some point, but until then, Aizen takes his time and embarks on his routine walk around town.

* * *

“So what are you planning to do now, Ichigo?”

Tatsuki is the one to launch the question while out at lunch.

It is an extremely hot day outside, but Orihime pointed out a restaurant with tables in a very nice garden filled with shade, and they all agreed that it was a good idea to eat there.

Ichigo finishes the food in his mouth and replies. “No idea.”

He glances to Rukia and they exchange a meaningful, yet short glance before adding.

“We’ll see, I guess.”

“Take your time, Kurosaki-kun.” Orihime suggests, smiling through a mustache of red sauce.

Uryuu extends her a napkin with an amused smile, and the young woman laughs in embarrassment and dabs at her mouth to get rid of the excess food.

“Yeah, but not a lot of it.” Tatsuki adds tersely. “There’s a time and a place to do this kind of stuff.”

Ichigo heaves a sigh. “I guess…”

He plays with the food on his plate for a moment longer before he says.

“In any case, I don’t think I’m going to be a doctor this time around.”

The other occupants of the table pause to look at him, surprise and curiosity etched into their expressions.

Ichigo smiles to himself. It feels like a superpower to be able to bring others to silence with just the sheer shock value of his words. He will miss this when all is said and done, but until then, he plans to enjoy it.

“So you were a doctor too.” Ishida drawls, sipping at his frilly drink. “Such an incredibly boring imagination you have, Kurosaki.”

Ichigo shoots him a look and returns to his food.

“Well, that’s good!” Keigo tries to lift the mood. “Medical school lasts like a thousand years and it sucks anyway.” The young man shivers dramatically. “You have to see blood and dead people.”

“Nothing new then.” Ichigo mutters in return and Rukia slaps his thigh in warning.

“What about you, Kuchiki-san?” Mizuiro asks politely and the Shinigami shrugs her shoulders, looking at the group helplessly.

“I have no idea how this university thing works, nor do I know what kind of subjects you are taught there.”

Mizuiro nods seriously and patiently starts to give her an explanation of the university system in Japan.

Ichigo tunes them out and turns to the others.

“When are you guys leaving?”

“You’re funny, Kurosaki-kun. We still haven’t received any word about our admission status.” Orihime might sound relaxed, but it is obvious that she’s nervous about what the answer that decides her future will be. “For now, we aren’t going anywhere.”

“Same with me.” Chad adds, just as devoid of energy as Orihime is.

He scowls slightly at his thoughtless approach.

“Sorry, I meant when do you have to leave, should you receive a positive answer.”

Orihime brings a finger to her lips as she thinks.

“Oh, I think at the beginning of September.”

“You too, Ishida?”

The Quincy fixes his glasses up his nose first and foremost. “I will have to leave a few weeks earlier to set up my apartment. Which reminds me,” he looks at Chad pointedly, “that we need to call the landlady.”

“Chad is going to be rooming with Uryuu-kun.” Orihime explains for their benefit and both Ichigo and Rukia _ooh_ in understanding.

Chad nods and now that he got the information he wanted, Ichigo turns to Tatsuki and the others. He stares at her for a long moment – enough to make his childhood friend irritated – before he notes.

“I still can’t believe that you are going to Osaka.”

Tatsuki leans back in her seat with a smirk.

“Going to miss me aren’t you, Ichigo?” She hums and Ichigo rolls his eyes gamely. “It’s not that far away, so don’t think you’re getting rid of me that easily!”

 _Fair enough_ , he thinks.

Osaka is maybe three hours away with the Shinkansen, promptly in the other direction of Tokyo. Karakura has the advantage of being stuck between the two bustling cities and the choice is a hard one for freshly graduated high school students.

“I don’t want university to start.” Keigo pouts and whines. “High school just finished!”

Mizuiro pats his friend’s head disinterestedly.

“That’s how life goes, Asano-san. Be glad that you don’t have to lug your stuff around Tokyo for a change.”

A second after Mizuiro’s words, Keigo’s head lifts sharply from the glass surface of the table and his eyes shine when he says.

“I got the _best_ idea!” Ichigo’s head draws back at the sheer excitement radiating off him. “We should go to Tokyo with everyone! It’ll be really fun!”

“We are going there for serious things, it’s not a vacation, Asano.”

Uryuu’s eyes narrow on the careless man and on the side, Mizuiro nods gravelly. But Keigo either doesn’t sense the danger or doesn’t care. It is certain that Aizen’s prolonged presence in his general vicinity made some of his better instincts curl up and die out.

“It will be a vacation for _us_!”

The _duh_ is rather implied and it serves to make Ishida even more irritated. But Keigo ignores the Quincy and instead turns to Ichigo and Rukia – his primary victims, since they will all be staying in Karakura for the time being.

“What do you think, Ichigo, Rukia-chan?”

Rukia leaves the decision in his hands and Ichigo rubs the back of his neck, thinking of the possibilities.

A change of scenery might be nice and it’s not like high school is going anywhere. From what Yuzu has told him, it’s programmed to start well after the universities do. Ichigo plans to cram on everything he missed and graduate this semester, so that maybe when spring starts, he will also be able to enrol into university.

Which one, he has no idea. But maybe Tokyo will be able to offer him some long sought-out answers.

So, he smiles and nods. “Sure, why not?”

The irritated scoff coming from Ishida is an added bonus to this vacation.

* * *

**SEPTEMBER**

* * *

“I really liked Tokyo.” Rukia drops down on the bed unceremoniously.

His father likes to joke that he’d get him a bigger one, so they’d both fit in comfortably, and after his original embarrassment has passed, Ichigo is seriously considering the offer.

“Yeah, big city, lots of people.”

Ichigo rather liked it too.

“We should visit more often.” Rukia swings her legs and then lies her head down on his stomach.

With a sigh, Ichigo closes the book he’s been reading and regards her seriously.

“We probably will. I’ve been thinking of applying to Tokyo for next semester.”

Rukia lights up and turns on her side to look at him.

“I have a list of places to visit-“

“Rukia, I’m going there to _study_.” Ichigo says drily, though it’s rather obvious that his fate is sealed, and that the list will be followed to the dot. “Something that you also should be thinking of doing.”

Rukia pouts and curls into a small ball next to his body.

“I’ve got no idea which one of these human subjects to choose from. There are so many! What even is global communication?”

Ichigo stifles a snort, but he can’t help her here. He flicks her forehead nonetheless and grins.

“You will figure it out, midget.”

A tiny hand lands on his face and squishes his nose.

“Screw you, carrot top-“

Rukia yelps when he grabs her around the middle and wrestles her to the other side of the bed. She squirms but gives up when he won’t move his ‘fat ass’, in Rukia’s lovely words, off her.

They stay like that for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Ichigo locks away all the hurt and the sorrowful memories that keep scratching at the back of his mind to let himself enjoy the moment they have together. He will never get tired of holding Rukia in his arms, though her sharp elbows are certainly a contributing factor to the opposite.

They haven’t talked since that night, but they’ve fallen into a seamless rhythm of coexisting-but-romantically this time around, and he’d rather not destroy it.

Ichigo still has shit to work through, but his therapist is a goddamn miracle worker, that’s for sure. Every day, he feels more like himself and less like the confused mess he’s been for ten years and four months.

He will never forget about Kazui – _how could he?_ – and at some point, he will sit down with Inoue and tell her everything. He will gather his friends and dish out the whole story, or what he remembers of it.

First and foremost, he will open his mouth, apologize to Rukia and offer her the whole truth if it’s still something that she wants. He resolves to not forget about Ichika either because it wasn’t the little girl’s fault that Yhwach’s reiatsu ultimately corrupted her.

Sometimes, he wonders whether that was what broke the spell over him; if Ichika’s whole existence was the reason Ichigo could break free.

As much as he feels like a jerk for thinking it, the mere notion that she existed was painful for him, and it is obvious that he wasn’t at the peak of his happiness whenever the notion that Rukia had a kid with Renji would resurface. And if he wasn’t at the peak of his happiness, then the Outsukama didn’t work properly.

In the end, was this Yhwach’s plan or just pure coincidence?

“You are thinking too hard again.” Rukia drags her fingers through his hair and Ichigo blinks the haze of memories away. She gives him a patient smile. “And you look like your cat died.”

“Maybe it did, how would you know that it didn’t?” He launches back, but instead of a rebuttal her eyes spark and Ichigo is once more filled with fear.

“We should get a cat – or better – a rabbit!”

“I think we already have one.” Ichigo says dryly and just then, Kon bursts into the room, dressed in frilly clothes for dolls.

“Stop smooching and help me!” The toy shouts at the top of his lungs, and Ichigo wonders how dumb he can get.

Without even turning, Ichigo can just picture the image in his head. From the wail that follows and the giggle accompanying it, Yuzu must have recuperated her toy.

The door closes softly and Ichigo sighs.

Rukia shifts in his arms, resting her head on her palm as she demurs.

“Maybe we should take Kon with us and spare him the misery.”

He raises an eyebrow at her.

“Since when did you start being so merciful?”

“I wouldn’t call living with you a mercy.”

Ichigo pinches her side and smiles at her scandalized expression.

“And what do you call it then?”

“Community service – _ouch,_ that hurt, you idiot!”

Ichigo lies back, hands behind his head and gaze fixed on the ceiling thoughtfully.

“What are you planning to study at university?”

“Literature, I think.”

Rukia hums, thumbing through his copy of Romeo and Juliet.

“What’s that good for?”

“Keeping my mind occupied.” Ichigo admits in a rare bout of honesty, but Rukia just nods in acquiescence.

The pause brings his former train of thought back to the forefront of his brain and Ichigo bites the inside of his cheek, giving himself a mental shove to ask.

“You have any news from the Soul Society?”

Rukia stops whatever she’s doing, and he feels the sheer tension radiating off her from where her body is pressed next to his.

“Only that captain Hitsugaya is returning the day after tomorrow.”

Oh yeah, Ichigo heard about that. Karin was uncharacteristically chipper this morning. He’s partly afraid to open this avenue of conversation, but with Toshiro here to stay, as the older brother, Ichigo will have to.

It’s not like goat face will make any move against his former third seat slash successor to the division, so once again, it falls down to him.

“Other than that, nothing yet.” And Rukia sounds slightly desperate to admit it. “But Nii-sama did say that he will not contact me until things have settled somewhat.”

Ichigo grunts, realizing how horrible it must be to be basically stranded here, even if by her own choice.

And speaking of choices,

“I think that I would have stayed in the Soul Society, have things gone differently.”

Obviously, he gets her attention because her face is suddenly in his field of view.

“What do you mean?”

Ichigo tries to explain the complicated feelings of belonging and rage that describe his relationship with the spirit world these days. In the past, there was only the former, and it served to thoroughly confuse him in the beginning, until he realized _who_ exactly he would have stayed in that world for.

“I would have stayed in the Soul Society, I think. At the end of the war.”

“Why would you do such a stupid thing when you had university and other stuff to look forward to?” Rukia wants to know, and Ichigo swallows down his embarrassment to the best of his ability in order to answer her.

“Mostly because you were there. But also because I wanted to be a real Shinigami.”

He will admit that he could have phrased that better, but her lips still lift into a smile and she gives him a quick peck on the lips before dropping down on the pillow next to him.

“That’s sweet but sad, wasting your time running after a dead woman.”

“So I’ve been told, ever since the whole execution fiasco.” Ichigo sighs and turns his face towards her. “What’s the plan, then?”

Rukia mimics his movement and inquires.

“The plan?”

“Yeah. We’ve only got like eighty years left in the World of the Living. What then?”

Finally, she realizes where he’s going with this and she grimaces.

“Depending on the situation in the Seiretei, we could go visit sometime before our impending ‘deaths’. As for _that_ time, I am not sure. Being part of the Gotei 13 is out of the question since we are both wanted traitors,”

Ichigo’s lips twist sardonically.

“But I suppose that we can find a nice place around the Rukongai. There are many things to do if you know where to look.”

“I’m sure.” He says dryly, though the idea doesn’t sound half bad.

He will still be a substitute Shinigami for Karakura and maybe Tokyo, if it’s not too risky, especially because he won’t just stay back when a Hollow attacks. Though considering the sheer density of the spiritually aware people who are moving to the capital this year, Ichigo kind of doubts that there will be Hollows around for much longer there. 

Obviously, his official Shinigami days are over for now, but just until the upper echelons of the Gotei are replaced or he and Rukia are miraculously pardoned. Still, Ichigo has a lot of friends there and his family and clan are also-

He pulls a face and asserts.

“As long as our house is not next to Kukaku’s.”

Rukia laughs loudly and the sound is enough to bring a real smile to his lips.

“We should make a plan for the training regimen.” He says, because Ichigo still holds onto the hope that it is not over. He really enjoys being a soul reaper and his place in things has been properly set onto a path that he is positive he enjoys since Rukia gave him her powers.

“I’d rather wait until you stop falling asleep at the dinner table,” Rukia smirks, eyes glinting gleefully and Ichigo knows what’s coming, “old man.”

He pulls her in for a kiss just so he can freely pinch her side again. Ichigo gets himself a punch in the nose for his efforts, but he’s grinning as Rukia growls at him another warning to keep his pinches to himself.

“An old man and a dead woman, that’s a pretty sad love story.” He comments and studies the swift changes in Rukia’s expression.

She takes it better than he expected, even flashes an amused smile and says.

“Oh, they will love it in the Soul Society, I’m sure. Two people, thrown in the most complicated situation ever and ending up falling in love.”

She meets his eyes then, but it’s like she’s looking right into his soul.

“Always searching for each other, always having to say goodbye.”

Her voice falters on the last words and Ichigo reaches out to tuck a few stray strands of hair away from her forehead, vapidly thinking that it’s just like Rukia said.

They’ve been saying goodbye to one another for years now, and each time it felt more and more like an existential crisis. Ichigo can’t go through another one of these again, and he’s pretty damn sure that Rukia shares his opinion on this.

“Not anymore, for damn sure.”

“Even if Yhwach comes back?” Her easy quip makes his head fall on her shoulder with a groan.

“You just had to destroy the moment by bringing that bastard’s name into the conversation, didn’t you?”

He can imagine the grin on her face.

“You know me – always keeping you on your toes.”

“Whatever the case,” Ichigo says, and even if he finds it hard to lift his head from the comfortable spot, he does it so he can pull Rukia into another kiss. He does it just so he can look at her when they break apart and say, “Hi.”

She laughs and cradles his face and there’s nowhere he wants to stay more than here, in this moment.

“Hi to you too, strawberry.”

Things will work themselves out and if they don’t, they will make them work out. As long as he’s got Rukia by his side, Ichigo is quite sure that there’s nothing that they will not be able to overcome together.

* * *

**_It isn’t that much, but it’s a good start, so go and get your hands dirty._ **

**FIN**

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the end!!  
> ahhh, can't believe we finally got here  
> thanks to everyone who sent me comments, kudos and everything else! 
> 
> i hope you guys enjoyed the story until the end <3  
> please look forward to two more pieces in the same series, also related to this story!  
>  ~~(and a possible sequel?)~~  
>  i don't want to get your hopes up, but i will see if the thing i started bears any creative fruits xD


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